


Never Say Navarro

by vertibird



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Developing Relationship, Falling In Love, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Road Trips, a million refrences to the previous fallout games
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-16
Updated: 2016-12-01
Packaged: 2018-05-14 07:14:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 42,415
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5734369
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vertibird/pseuds/vertibird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After not seeing Courier Six for over two years, since the battle of Hoover Dam, he asks Arcade to come along with him to find someone who possibly might be his mother. This adventure of finding Six's mother takes them through the old stomping grounds of the famous Vault Dweller and a tribal from Arroyo.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. New Vegas

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally posted on the Fallout kink meme, but I'm editing and changing a few things for this version. It stars an amnesiac!Courier Six with an independent New Vegas and an Arcade that was encouraged to fight with the Enclave remnants.

Arcade Gannon must be a fool because all it takes is Six smiling and reaching his hand out towards him to get him to follow him on another wild adventure (death, quite likely). Arcade agrees so quickly, he doesn’t even have time to let himself think of all the reasons he shouldn’t go with Six, that he should stay in New Vegas. He doesn’t even think to ask how Six broke into his place and how he knows Arcade is here.  
  
It’s only later, as he splits a cold sunset sarsaparilla with Six, that he starts realizing he’s too old for this sort of thing. He has obligations, people to protect, and he’s no longer some researcher who barely does any research despite the occupational title.  
  
He hasn’t seen Six since the battle of Hoover Dam, and that’s almost two years ago. Arcade has heard mentions of Six, but hearing tidbits of gossip could never remedy actually seeing him. Their last real conversation hasn’t been since that day they went to the remnants bunker.  
  
Yet there he is, sitting at his small dinner table, facing Six as the man uses his thumb to flick the bottle cap of the soda he just opened moments ago in the air repeatedly. Eventually, Six misses, revealing the underside of the cap having a star under it. A quick stream of memories flood his mind of when they went to the factory. Six demanding his reward, finding it terrible, and things quickly spiraled out of control because that’s how everything that involves Six ends up.  
  
“I’m not sure what question to ask first, as about thirty of them could be considered worthy of that honor.” Six looks mostly the same, and Arcade is a bit jealous because he’s sure he’s aged in these last couple of years.  
  
“We could go back and forth, take turns asking each other questions.” Six doesn’t at all feel strange about the circumstances he’s currently. To Arcade, he looks quite collected and calm about this all.  
  
“Fine, I suppose that is fair enough. Are you going to give me actual replies instead of jokes that make you laugh?” Arcade has done something like this before, possibly at some Followers meet and greet social event he was forced to attend as a student.  
  
“They’ll make you laugh, too, maybe.” Six starts to smirk, and Arcade is all too familiar with that look. He knows he’s been had by this man. “My turn. Has someone swept you off your feet yet?”  
  
“That is not fair.” Arcade should’ve known better, it seemed too simple. “I was asking a question about the guidelines.”  
  
“A question’s a question.” Yet when Six laughs, the annoyance Arcade harbors starts to dissipate. “Now, about my question.”  
  
There’s a long pause, Arcade looking at Six. He’s looked at him, but this time he looks at him to commit it to memory. Arcade is going to say there isn’t someone in his life, but before he can, he’s lip locked in a kiss with Six.  
  
The game doesn’t go as proposed, as it’s Six who asks multiple questions in a row, Arcade’s more than willing to respond between kisses and when his mouth is free (“Where’s bedroom?”, “Is it just us?”, and, “Do you have a condom and some lube?”).  
  
Arcade wonders if age has made him an easier lay (it probably has) or Six still has a strong influence on him. Two years ago there was definitely sexual tension between them, the occasional flirtation transpired, but it went no further. Now after not seeing each other in two years, only being reunited ten minutes at the most, they end up sleeping together.

 Six takes him fast and hard, and they probably both ooze of desperation and impatience of wanting this badly. Yet neither of them comment on it, and little to no words are spoken. Actions speak enough, that’s Six’s style, Arcade likes a mixture of both. Yet tonight, right there and then, Arcade is fine with actions alone.  
  
Arcade’s not sure his bedside manner has improved.  
  
Probably not.  
  
Arcade does get more answers out of Six during pillow talk. Apparently, Six has spent about a year and a half in that old world research facility that is a gold mine of pre-war tech he only briefly mentioned in their time together. He’s returned to the Strip a handful of times to check up on things, never staying too long. The Brotherhood knows about the Big Empty, Six being a member of them, but from what Arcade can gather, they’ve given Six a pretty loose and long leash and haven’t complained (and if they did, would Six even listen?). The most disappointing answer Arcade gets is when he finds out all of Six’s other former companions have had visits from him, sometimes more than once, and Arcade is last (so he concludes).  
  
“So what? Saving the best for last?” He asks Six, who’s sitting on the edge of his bed and putting out a cigarette. His voice isn’t flirtatious, no, it’s outright accusatory. “You didn’t bother to seek me out until you needed me on this adventure of yours. Which, by the way, I still haven’t forgotten I need to ask you much-needed details on.”  
  
“No, I’ve seen the good work you’ve done.” There’s no hint of a joke in Six’s voice. “It’s just the first time I said hello.” Six turns to look at him, and Arcade should really stay mad. He doesn’t remember being in love with him, but he’s going to chalk this all up to a sudden surge of dopamine (or maybe he’s not longer telling himself he has no feelings for him, that it’s the wrong place and wrong time for such feelings).  
  
“You didn’t even say that.” Six presses his lips against Arcade’s, but it’s not a kiss yet, Arcade doesn’t let it become one. He feels Six’s tongue against his bottom lip, asking for more than just permission, but forgiveness.  
  
He forgives Six, and what starts off as a kiss leads to Six staying the night in his bed. Even with too many questions on his mind, he sleeps soundly.  
  
He wakes up to an empty bed, and for a minute or so, he thinks he’s just had the most elaborate sex dream since he was a teenager. Yet when he attempts to get out of bed, his stiff back is a sure sign that what happened isn’t a dream.  
  
He puts on his glasses, looking for his pajama bottoms, only to realize he never put them on in the first place. It’s been a while since he’s slept nude; the nights here are too cold for that usually if one sleeps alone.  
By the time he puts some clothing on, he hears a door close, footsteps, and beeping. He smells food, too, which is what his mind focuses on.  
  
On the table where he split a sunset sarsaparilla with Six last night, he sees a plate of food. Hovering over the table, beeping at him, is the all too familiar eyebot companion of Six. For once, he’s relieved to see it.  
  
“It seems you haven’t turned your master into a pile of ash.” He approaches ED-E but doesn’t get too close. “Yet.”  
  
He’s not sure what the eyebot says to him, but he can gather it’s not a positive response. “Fine, maybe that was a bit too harsh, but not all eyebots are like you.” Happy beeping, it must have caught on Arcade actually gave it a compliment. “One compliment slipped, and that’s due to being a bit more sentimental than I usually am. It won’t happen again.”  
  
“Are you two playing nice?” That’s Six’s voice, the other man is only wearing a pair of pants, arms crossed over his chest. He looks so damned pleased with himself, amused at the sight before him.  
  
ED-E flies over to Six, and like the eyebot is a dog, Six pats the robot on the top of its head.  
  
“Hey, Eddie.” Six looks at Arcade, still looking rather smug. “You didn’t wake up our old friend here, did you?” Whether Six means Arcade is old, their friendship, or both, he can’t tell.  
  
“Ah, good, he woke up on his own.” He still doesn’t understand how Six can understand the eyebot, and the last time he asked how Six understood it, all Arcade got was a shrug and ‘I just do’ sort of answer.

You could have woken me up, you know.” Six could’ve, but if Arcade felt up to it or not, was another thing entirely.  
  
“You looked tired, and I thought the least I could do is let you rest.”  
  
“And make me breakfast?”  
  
“Well, I made breakfast for me, too.” Six walks towards the table, but before he sits down, he gives Arcade a quick peck on the lips before taking a seat.  
  
This whole exchange is entirely too domestic and pre-war married couple like. Maybe he’s still dreaming, maybe he’s been transported into another universe where-  
  
Then he sees Six gnawing on a stick of burnt iguana chunks, looking like he’s never been taught table manners. That’s when Arcade knows this is real and this is the same Six he met at the Mormon Fort when he still called himself a researcher.  
  
When Arcade asks Six after breakfast what’s next for them, Six tells him about why he came to Arcade. He’s found records of a possible home address located far north in California. He tells Arcade that while he hasn’t recovered his memory, he might have located his mother. Six tells him his mother is a woman named Miria. Six is able to find out she lived in a farming community called Modoc at one time so it’s a good place to start looking. Arcade’s honestly taken aback Six asked him to come along for such a personal thing. Should he? They haven’t directly spoken in so long, and maybe it’s out of mere formality they call each other friends.  
  
Sure, they just slept together, and they briefly enjoyed some domestic bliss that’s almost too corny that it’s almost unsettling, but he feels like he’s intruding. He’s still surprised Six can be so... normal. This is the same man who thought using armor off dead bodies to patch up his was sanitary and that crushing up mentats and buffout to pour into nuka-cola was an energy drink.

  
It’s all just happening so fast for him to process it all.  
  
Even if Six is someone who he once called his confidant, probably his best friend, it’s been two years. While his personality hasn’t done a complete 180, many things have changed and thus have changed him. Usually two years wouldn’t have made a difference in most periods of his adult life, but two years after the creation of an independent New Vegas is an entirely different matter.  
  
And lingering in the back of his mind, gnawing like a molerat, he wants to ask the question again, this time specifying what’s between them. He’s not going to get his hopes up. He’s had his share of one night lovers, but he didn’t hold off getting involved with Six all those years ago just to fall on his face like this. He knows bringing the question up would be awkward either way. On one side far too presumptuous, clingy, even. The other side, dismissive, brushing off enjoyed intimacy like he doesn’t want a repeat. Or maybe it’s just a casual thing, friends with benefits sort of thing. He sees Six more into that, possibly. Six never talked about relationships or wanting to settle down.  
  
Wait, he’s thinking about doing a repeat of last night? Even of this morning? He’s too old to be thinking like this.  
  
As he’s thinking all this over, Six asks him something that makes him feel even heavier.  
  
“Navarro is on the way there. Eddie wants to go there, and I was wondering if you wanted to go there, too.”  
  
Navarro. He’s been away from there longer than he spent time there, and even then, it’s associated with so many things of his past. While he’s accepted his roots, wears his father’s armor, going back there is a huge step. There are many wounds there, maybe some he shouldn’t dig up on purpose.  
  
“Oh,” he can’t think of a deflective response just yet, but it eventually comes to him. “I mean, it’s not like the NCR is patrolling the place, guns blazing, expecting the Enclave to rise out from the ocean and take the place back.” He tries to keep his voice sounding upbeat, but he’s still terrible at lying and covering things up (lying in power armor is much easier, and if lying doesn’t work, the armor would do it). “And hopefully you’d get a heads up from your fellow brother in steel arms if anything Enclave became a top priority again.”

“Most of the other chapters in California aren’t exactly fond of anything that touched the Mojave chapter.” It’s supposed to be a joke, but it sounds like Six is a lot more connected to the Brotherhood than he thought. Of course it unnerves him, but he trusts that Six won’t suddenly pull out a gatling laser, call him Enclave scum, and shoot him down.  
  
At least not now as they’re still in the middle of breakfast.  
  
“You can thank Elder Elijah for that.” Arcade tries to recall the name, and it seems he’s given his pass on recalling dead elders from the Brotherhood by Six. “Veronica’s mentor, the one before McNamara, the one I killed.”  
  
“Killed?” He doesn’t remember being told that, or maybe his memory really is getting bad. “Wouldn’t the Brotherhood want revenge if you killed one of their elders? Not, you know, still let you enter their secret club house and reap the benefits of it..” Six joined the Brotherhood to secure an alliance with them, and this was all before Arcade had told him about his Enclave roots.  
  
“He started that mess at Helios One, and when the other chapters found out, they wanted him dead. The only real leverage I have with the other western chapters is killing him.” His face must be giving away the fact talking about the Brotherhood isn’t a comfortable topic, even more so now. “I hate talking about this Brotherhood bureaucracy crap, but look at me.” A bitter laugh follows after the statement, Arcade thankful that the conversation is being redirected.  
  
“Bureaucracy? Look at that new shiny word you’re using.” He teases. Not that he thinks Six is lacking the intelligence to use the word correctly, or at all, but it doesn’t fit his style of speaking and usual word choice.  
  
“I read up on structures of government in some pre-war books in the Big Empty. There are a bunch of books in something called a high school, some pre-war thing.”  
  
“It‘s a type of school, not that the name gave that away or anything. It’s for children the ages of fourteen to eighteen, usually.” Sometimes he forgets most people don‘t know much about what the world was like before the bombs fell. If it‘s one thing the Enclave gave him, it gave him an attachment and sentimentalism for a world he’s never experienced.“Did you read this book before New Vegas became independent?”  
  
“After, but as they say, better late than never.” Arcade gets a feeling Six is applying that saying to more than just reading a pre-war book, but to them. His hunch is confirmed when Six starts kissing him, and Arcade can taste the burnt iguana bits he ate earlier.  
  
He thinks he’s done justice, done right by his parents by having the Enclave tech do something good after all these years at Hoover Dam. Yet he wonders if they would roll in their graves, at least just a little, if they saw their precious and only son making out with a glorified ex-mailman turned Brotherhood of Steel knight (or is it paladin?). Or maybe he can frame it as the man who helped establish an independent New Vegas -- that’s probably much better. At least Daisy would be happy for him, dub them love birds, and wish them the best.  
  
All those times he’s been bored enough to read pre-war romance novels are coming back to haunt him now.  
  
It only remains kissing and some heavy petting because Six pulls away before it goes further. Six says they’re on a tight schedule if they want to make it to Modoc in a timely manner. He’s not used to tight schedules and structured plans when it comes to Six, and of course, Arcade calls him out on the change of behavior.  
  
He tells Arcade he was a courier once, and he was a good one before he got a bullet to the brain. Six still doesn’t remember much but insists on the gut feeling.  
  
Arcade doesn’t disagree, but it gets him thinking, how much has Six changed in their time apart? Is this even the same man he once knew? He’ll probably find out eventually. They’ve got plenty of miles to walk together which means plenty of conversations ahead.

Six tells him they’ll have to do a little walking to an abandoned Brotherhood bunker near Nelson. Arcade isn’t sure what Six means by a ‘little walking’ as they’ll be walking for months at the very least (he assumes it’s a joke). Arcade packs a handful of things, probably half are unnecessary, but one never knows. Arcade wears his power armor, Six just puts on some leather armor, and off they go with an eyebot following behind them.  
  
He leaves a note on the door outside the house before they leave. He should leave a letter with better details, giving an estimate on when he returns. Instead, all he writes is that he’ll be back. Maybe.  
  
The trip to Nelson is mostly quite minus some small talk. All of it is initiated by Arcade himself because he can only take a certain amount of silence and Mr. New Vegas’ voice. Still, doing something like this with Six again is comforting in a sense. He misses it, probably, even if it increases his likelihood of dying by ten fold at the bare minimum.  
  
It’s a quick trip to Nelson, just gathering a few supplies. He tries to insist they get more, but Six says they don’t need that much. Arcade can tell he’s glad to see Nelson doing better and actually functioning. He’s going to tell him he spent some time helping rebuilt the place, but it’s Six who thanks him for helping the people out here before he even gets the chance to. It’s sort of creepy, no, it is, that Six has probably been keeping tabs on him. He much rather have a conversation and split some alcohol with him than be spied on. At least that’s what Arcade assumes, and he’s taking some liberties here. He makes a mental note to bring up the spying and keeping tabs on him.  
  
It’s about another hour of walking before Six stops, looks around, and takes out a gun that clearly isn’t from any arms dealer in the Mojave. It’s an energy weapon, possibly some sort of sonic based technology. Arcade puts a hand on his weapon, thinking maybe someone sneaked up on them, but Six runs ahead of him before he gets the chance to ask.  
  
He catches up to Six, about to make a comment about running in power armor, but when Arcade looks down below, he sees a force field dome protecting an entrance to a bunker and what looks to be an intact Highwayman driven into the ditch.  
  
Just what has Six been doing? He’s been told, sure, but seeing is another story. He wonders if the Brotherhood gave this to him or this is something Six got on his own (probably the latter).  
  
Six aims the sonic gun, fires it, and the force field is gone. “It’s gonna be a pain in the ass to drive this out.” Arcade hears him mutter to himself.  
  
Six slides down the ditch, puts away the gun, and opens the tunnel entrance. Arcade is still standing above, and even if Six can’t see his face, he has enough sense to pick up on how he’s feeling (or should).  
  
“Come down here. I’ve got to put it back up.” He’s told, and Arcade listens, assuming he means the force field.  
  
He’s correct, and he watches Six pull out the gun again, this time adjusting it before he fires it up above their heads. The force field is restored, and with that, he puts the gun away.  
  
Arcade removes his helmet, putting it under his arm, to show he really wants some answers. “So, about all this technology.” He’s not going to be subtle about this. “It could really do good if you shared some of it, especially that force field technology.”  
  
“In time.” He doesn’t like that response, and it must show, because instead of stopping there, Six elaborates. “It’s why I come back to the Strip. It takes time to understand all this stuff, make sure it’s safe.”  
  
“Wouldn’t the Brotherhood help you with that? Or are they’re just going to hoard it all?” He asks, but Six shakes his head.  
  
“I don’t really talk to them about that stuff unless it’s the Elder. Sometimes Veronica helps me out, but she’s a special exception.” He doesn’t mean to be, but he’s a bit jealous Six seems to have all of this at his fingertips. At least he’s doing good with, or will eventually do so, and Arcade trusts him. “I even got a nifty title of Paladin Lord when Elder McNamara made me glorified babysitter of Big Empty.”

“So, glorified mailman to glorified babysitter? ” The scary thought is what Six is exactly babysitting, but it’s easier to make a joke about it. “And in between that, the liberator of New Vegas.”  
  
“I could be doing worse, I guess, like be dead.” He scratches the back of his head and looks back up at the sky. “We should spend the night in this bunker and drive off in the morning.” It’s not dark yet, but it would be in a couple of hours.  
  
Six goes down the Bunker, his loyal eyebot following him, beeping to confirm it didn’t fly off. Arcade walks towards the entrance, but before going down, he gets a good look at the Highwayman. Despite a few scratches, the front slightly dented with splotches of dirt, it’s in remarkable condition, far better than any previous restoration attempts he saw back in California. Six has always been mysterious in many ways, probably due to his amnesia, but he never held any secrets from Arcade or any of their travel companions. While he might not be deliberately keeping secrets, it feels like a bunch are spilling out the more time Arcade is with him.  
  
If there is one thing Arcade is appreciative of, it’s functioning plumbing in the Mojave. It seems this bunker is being well maintained, having a good source of water and electricity supplied to it. As soon as Six told him there were shower facilities, Arcade couldn’t get his power armor off fast enough. So now that’s he’s cleaned and drying himself off, he’s taking his time and looking at the actual bunker itself.  
  
There are Brotherhood symbols all over the place, but they’re fading and more worn than most of the restored parts of the bunker. There are pre-war technology and memorabilia scattered all over the place, from what looks to be some sort of lounge room to what looks like a library. Some of the tech is in better condition than others, some look like they’re being repaired, and a few look like they’re ready to go in the trash. It seems whoever lives here, or uses this bunker, has plenty of projects to keep themselves occupied with.  
  
Arcade takes a few books from the library, hoping one will be a decent read before he sleeps. As he turns, he notices something that’s rather out of place. On a desk, instead of scrap metal or tools, it looks like women’s clothing and accessories. He can smell perfume coming from them, it smells like the old war and the fine liquors that were in the Lucky 38‘s bar back in the day.  
  
He goes back to where he left his power armor, which is now hanging next to a bunch of different models of power armor, pre-war armor, and combat suites. This looks like the main workroom and resting area now that he’s gotten a better look at the room. He places the books he picked up on what looks to be the unoccupied bed.  
  
Six is busy working away at something, ED-E helping him weld it. Arcade doesn’t interrupt him, watching him work for a bit. He debates on saying something or just letting the man continue, but then Six stops, takes off his welding goggles, and turns to look at him.  
  
“The water wasn’t too cold, was it? The water heater’s been buggy since I installed the new water chip.” While Six has been good at repairing things, even good at science, it seems his skills have improved a lot more than just hacking and patching things back together (it’s probably Brotherhood training).  
  
“It was fine, better than anything I’ve had in a while.” If Arcade didn’t know any better, Six is currently checking him out. Which, he’s flattered by but slightly embarrassed due to his mixed feelings on their current circumstances. “Is this your little hideaway? Or should I expect more company?”  
  
“It belonged to Veronica’s mentor, but I’m not sure how many others know about it. Probably not many because he kept most of his secret projects here.” Six turns his head towards a particular rack of weapons. “ Veronica stays here sometimes, helps maintain the place when I’m gone. I’m fixing up a powerfist I brought back for her.” He looks back at the workbench, grabbing hold of what he was previously welding. “It’s supposed to be a surprise for the next time she stops by here.”  
  
“And the clothing in the library, I assume that’s for her, too?” There’s a chance he could be wrong, so better to get this over with.

Six nods. “Yeah, I pick up stuff when I can for her.” It might be petty, but he’s relieved.  
  
“So how often do you see Veronica?” Because it sounds like it’s a lot more often than he initially thought.  
  
“We exchange messages once a month, usually, maybe see each other every other month.” And like a petulant child that hears they are getting the short end of the stick, Arcade can’t help but be annoyed. He’s gone over two years without seeing Six, not even a single message, and Veronica has been in regular contact with him.  
  
“I see.” He does, and he’s starting to wonder if Six’s motives for asking him to go with him to California are a lot more complicated than them being friends.  
  
As if Six knows the conversation has taken a turn, he tries to diffuse it by using a distraction. “There’s some clothing you can wear tonight in that trunk.” He uses the powerfist to point to the particular trunk before he turns around, presumably to end the conversation and to work on the powerfist again.  
  
Arcade goes towards the trunk, seeing casino chips scattered on top of them (The Sierra Madre, he knows that’s some old world hellhole Six escaped from once). A few of the chips slip off when he opens the trunk, Arcade making a mental not to pick them up later even if this place is messy.  
  
He picks out what looks like pre-war sleepwear, closing the trunk. He looks back towards Six who is still working on that powerfist again. Arcade lets the towel around his waist drop, a distinctive flopping sound echoes in the room when it hits the floor. It’s quiet between them as Arcade puts on the sleepwear pants -- a little too short for him, tight in some areas, but not too uncomfortable.  
  
“You’re right.” Arcade isn’t sure what Six is referring to just yet, but he can pick up regret in his voice. “I should’ve checked in with you sooner.” The other man’s back is towards him still, but he can tell what he’s saying is the complete truth. “You had your hands full, you were doing good work. Looks like you got that new start you always wanted.”  
  
Six rarely shows moments of vulnerability; you get eaten alive out here if you do. “A fresh start doesn’t mean cutting your past off. I know that more than ever.” He wears it, he lives it, and while he might not shout from the top of his lungs his Enclave lineage, he's not stuck in limbo about them. “And me doing other things never stopped you from dragging me along somewhere.”  
  
“Yeah, I figured that along the way somewhere. Maybe it’s why I’m doing this whole thing, digging into my past. Hopefully the next fresh start won’t get me killed.” Six still has his back turned, but his head, Arcade can see it’s not staring straight anymore. “And admit it, you like it, miss it.” That smirk Six makes, that teasing, his old self is emerging out of that mysterious persona from earlier.  
  
“Arrogance does not look as flattering as you think on you. I suggest taking it off.” It actually does, just a little, but Arcade’s not going to admit that.  
  
“Yeah? Says the guy who’s taking forever to put on two pieces of clothing.” Six finally turns to look at him fully, their eyes meeting. His arms are against his chest, looking like he’s waiting for an answer. “You think I didn’t notice?”  
  
“If you’re implying I’m doing some sort of social experiment or-”  
  
“Nah, I’m just saying you miss me.”  
  
“Which is probably just as embarrassing.”  
  
“Embarrassing is you drawing this out longer than it needs to be because you haven’t used a one-liner in Latin yet.” Six has him there, and the shirt he has yet is tossed on top the trunk.  
  
“ _Mater saeva Cupidinum_ ,” Arcade mutters under his breath before he walks quickly towards Six, embracing him in a kiss. Arcade pushes him back up against the workbench, causing Six to sit on top of it.  
  
This is the Six he knows, charming yet obnoxious, blundering through things yet somehow managing to pull it all off; the person who knows him better than he ever expected.  
  
This time it’s him taking Six, and as he feels the warmth of Six around him (his mouth, torso, and every single inch of him and then some), he feels the world is a better place than he’d admit to out loud. Six drags out the optimist in him that he denies being there because he feels it’s too naive (The Followers have made their mark on him).

This time sex between them feels a lot more passionate. Possibly due to the clashing of emotions and the releasing of them. Or maybe Arcade is truly getting old despite assuming his stamina getting better by wearing power armor over these past two years.  
  
Right after coming inside Six, there’s an intimate moment that follows between them. Both of them breathe heavily and they lean against each other for support (physical and mental). It’s not quiet, but it feels like there’s a powerful silence between them. They don’t speak, but there is a conversation happening between them anyway.  
  
Arcade places a soft kiss on Six’s neck because he knows this intimate and quiet moment will eventually end. It’s probably a good thing Six complains about needing a shower and points out Arcade knocked Veronica’s powerfist on the floor. If it weren’t for that, Arcade might have said something embarrassing and too cliche. Even worse, he might have told Six he missed him more than he could’ve ever imagined.  
  
With Six taking a shower and cleaning up, Arcade decides to take a jab at reading those books he picked up early. Most end up being some anti-communist propaganda he’s read and seen before. The Enclave had plenty of books like these, old world books that reminded how great the United States of America was (and would be once again, he hears an echo of the past). He wonders if Six read any of these, as he did mention reading books in the Big Empty earlier. He’s alone there, watching over all that stuff, so he probably has a lot of time do to... whatever he’s supposed to do and then other things.  
  
Arcade looks up, seeing that damn eyebot of Six staring at him. He knows they technically can’t really stare like a human can, but it’s like it has Arcade in its sights. “So, have you been doing well since I’ve seen you last?”  
  
A few beeps and the eyebot does a circular movement, and Arcade has no idea how Six can make sense of this. “Well, you haven’t taken off to Navarro yet, and Six is even going there because of-” He stops speaking when ED-E shakes and blasts what he remembers as a negative beep.  
  
“What do you mean no? He told me he’s going to stop by there for you.” He pauses, thinking about it more. “Well, he could be lying, that wouldn’t exactly be something new and far fetched.” He mutters to himself, and he’s about to get lost in his own thoughts before he hears an onslaught of beeps again.  
  
“Wait, calm down. I can’t speak robot, at least not the beeping dialect.” He raises his hands up, like somehow it’s body language is going to calm it down. It seems to work, so he's relieved. “Good eye-, good... Eddie.” It’s weird use that name, but it’s weird to be speaking to an eyebot in this manner. “Since the language barrier is clearly an issue between us still, we’ll take it slow. One beep for yes, two for no, and three for maybe. Got it?”  
  
ED-E makes a single beep. “Good. Slow progress, but better than nothing.” Now to figure out how to frame these various questions into something that a yes or no response would suffice.  
  
“Is is true Six wants to find his mother?” A single beep.  
  
“And about Navarro, do you want to go there?” Three beeps. “Are we going because Six thinks you want to go there?” Two beeps and that worries him.  
  
“Does Six want to go to Navarro because...” He has to stop speaking for a second because he rather not think of it. “Because of the Brotherhood? For Enclave technology?” Two beeps and they sound angry. “Hey, I didn’t mean to make it-” ED-E shakes, a few of its antennae raise up. “No, you’re right, that sounded bad and paranoid of me. You can’t exactly blame me for being cautious, can you?” And this time, there are two sad beeps.  
  
Arcade lets out a big sigh, no longer sure asking ED-E questions is a good idea. “I’m an idiot.” A quick beep, and it takes a few seconds to realize he’s been sassed by a damn eyebot. “Don’t get smart with me. Six may find your antics cute, but I have much different standards.”

He lies back down on the bed, no longer sitting up. He stares at the ceiling of the bunker, and it’s been a long time since he’s had little to nothing to do. Yet his mind isn’t idle, thinking and wondering so much. He doesn’t want to bombard Six into answering every single question he as at once, but he does eventually want some answers. He wants to know about the car, about all his resources, what is he going to do with said resources and technology, does he have a future game plan, etc. etc. Arcade’s intelligent mind is being used against him right now.  
  
It’s easier now to ask ED-E these questions because he has a feeling he knows the answers.“Do you think anything is even left at Navarro?” Three beeps. “Are we really all that’s left of the Enclave?” There’s a delay, but eventually three beeps.  
  
“Isn’t it funny,” he smiles, knowing by this point he’s mostly talking to himself. “How things ended up?” He assumes the question is too complicated for ED-E to respond to, but he hears a single beep. “We may not find a newly formed Enclave hoping to do something actually good, but we might be able to find peace there.”  
  
He’s not sure when, but he must have fallen asleep sometime after asking ED-E those questions. He wakes up, only a dim light in the room. He can’t make out anything else without his glasses, so he fumbles around for them, eventually finding them next to the bed on the stand. He doesn’t remember taking them off, but he could have, maybe. He also feels what’s a blanket on him, and he’s very sure that wasn’t there before.  
  
He puts on his glasses, and that fuzzy dim light with shadows turns into Six working at that work bench again. It must be late by now, and aren’t they leaving in the morning? What could he be working on?  
  
He tries not to disturb Six in his work, but he’s never been the most stealthy and covert. “Didn’t mean to wake you,” Six turns around, and he can just make out a smile. “That way, anyway.”  
  
Arcade gets out of the bed, walking towards him. “Oh? And what are you working on? Shouldn’t you get some rest?”  
  
“Just fixing a few things for the trip, and I will.” Arcade can see he’s working on modifying some sort of microfusion cell pack once he gets close enough.  
  
“Modified ammo? I know wherever you go, we end up killing things, but…” His voice trails, Six laughing.  
  
“There’s that, but this is for that Highwayman. I restored it with a lot of help from Big Empty tech and Raul. Raul helped me change it so it ran on a modified version of microfusion cells.” Now Arcade is reminded he wanted to ask about that car, and once again, another one of their former companions is brought up.  
  
“So it really does work? And you know how to drive it?” That would save them a lot of time. “And about that gun that can create force fields, what about that?” So much for not asking too many questions. “What other projects do you have stored away only to surprise me with later?”  
  
“It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you.” Arcade should have expected a reply like that. “Yeah, took about a year to rebuild it, took a few days to learn how to drive it. Only crashed it twice so far. Once because Muggy sneaked up on me and yelled in my ear. Raul gave me a few pointers, they’ve helped.”  
  
He notices Six doesn’t mention the force field, but he won’t pressure him on it for now at least. Yet the stranger question is how Six learned and who Muggy is. “Muggy?”  
  
“Some robot one of those Big Empty scientist made. The little guy is obsessed with cleaning dishes and mugs, especially coffee mugs.” The more he hears about the Big Empty, the stranger it sounds. “You should meet the others, but I think the light switches might be a little jealous of you.” Six winks at him, and he has no idea what that’s supposed to mean or how that’s possible.

“Right,” he says because he has no good one liners about small robots obsessed with coffee mugs or jealous light switches. “Sounds like you’re roping me into another trip after this one already.”  
  
“I might be,” Six puts down the microfusion cellpack, now giving his full attention towards Arcade. “Would it be a bad thing?”  
  
“I wouldn’t call it bad, but presumptuous.” Of course he’s teasing, it makes things a bit more fun this way. “Who knows what will happen from now until then.”  
  
“Plenty of things, but it’s always good to keep an extra thing on the to do list -- keeps you alive and too stubborn to die.” Arcade has to laugh at that because it’s just so like Six to think like that.  
  
“You would know best, wouldn’t you?” He says, smiling, and Six replies with a kiss as a confirmation.  
  
They leave early the next morning, Six driving the Highwayman. The supplies are in the back trunk and their armor in the seats behind them. Arcade has finally gotten used to ED-E hovering close behind him, beeping once in awhile and moving around. He's much more comfortable around the eyebot than he was years ago, and maybe in time, he'll warm up to it.  
  
Arcade has been in a car before, but a car that drives this smoothly (Six says road bumps and holes don't count) and doesn’t smell like it might ignite any second is another story. So far they haven’t crashed, and only twice they’ve almost hit something. Both times Arcade scolds Six, and both times Six laughs and smiles like it's no big deal and it 'totally won't happen again'.  
  
Six offers to teach him how to drive, and Arcade thinks it’s a joke, but he insists. Maybe it's just small talk as they drive towards the Boneyard. At least he hopes they're driving in the right direction even with the pipboy Six is using for directions. He hasn't been the Boneyard in a while, and it's much more developed than any part of the Mojave is outside of the Strip. He has good and bad memories there, most dealing with the Followers. If things didn't work out how they did, he could easily see himself going back there living as a civilian doctor.  
  
The one thing that amazes him about this all, even if it was considered commonplace before the war, is how fast they're going. It's hard to tell how fast they're going just by looking out the car windows, bust Arcade sticks a few fingers out and the wind resistance tells him they're going faster than most people think is possible these days. Eighty miles per hour is what one of the meter reads, sometimes falling down to seventy and occasionally creeping up to ninety.  
  
Once in a while they drive over a hole or a bump, Arcade grabbing onto the seat and realizing there are no seat belts or straps installed. For someone in the Brotherhood, who tout safety with technology, Six doesn't think about safety much on a personal level; the man is probably the best member of the Brotherhood he's ever met or he enjoys taking a piss on their sacred codex. Either way, it's towards his benefit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mater saeva Cupidinum: Cupid's cruel/savage mother, a line from a poem by Horace


	2. The Boneyard

They're supposed to stop briefly in the Boneyard to stretch their legs, get some more supplies, and maybe pick up something more edible to eat than anything found in the Mojave. Seeing the Boneyard again, it brings something back in Arcade he hasn't felt in a while. This is where he committed himself to being a Follower, and while he isn't one anymore, he still appreciates what they do. He might have used being a Follower to detract from his Enclave roots, but he wasn't faking it when he carried out their ideals.

Six is sitting on the Highwayman finishing up a cigarette. Arcade must be transparent with his thoughts because Six looks at him just a bit longer than he normally would.

He slides off the car, tossing the cigarette down on the ground. “I saw a big empty lot a few miles down.”

Arcade isn't sure where he's going with this. “Did you need to repair the car?”

Six shakes his head. "I'm gonna teach you how to drive.”

Six looks so amused when he says that, which contrasts Arcade as he looks and feels like the other man might be doing this for his own amusement. “I know how to pilot a vertibird.” Which is kind of true, Daisy gave him lessons, but he's never flown an actual one. “So it's not like I haven't operated a vehicle of sorts. Even if a Highwayman and vertibird are different, one for flying and the other for driving. The gears and steering are different, and watching one's speed versus watching ones acceleration-” He catches himself rambling, a nervous habit, but Six just laughs.

“Then maybe you'll return the favor and teach me how to pilot one.” He's being flirted with, and Arcade can't tell if it's to salt his wound of embarrassment or it's trying to ease it. Either way, the ex-glorified mailman looks like he wins either way. “Come on,” he urges Arcade, opening and holding the driver's side of the car open.

Arcade gets into the car, sitting down and adjusting his posture so he's not so uncomfortable. He adjusts some of the mirrors, because he knows he has to do that much. He knows about the break and the gas, starting the engine, and the gears that correspond to different driving modes.

He hears the other car door close, seeing Six next to him, watching, possibly anticipating to see what happens next.

“You need the keys first.” Six dangles them in front of him, Arcade soon snatching them.

“I know that.” He says, sighing into that last word.

He's seen plenty of holotapes of people driving cars, and he's not too nervous about the driving part. Yet he feels on edge, like something isn't right. He inserts the key into the ignition, turning it, starting the car.

Arcade assumes Six is just going to use this experience for another joke, but it doesn't turn out that way. Besides the occasional teasing when he breaks too fast and too much, and being too cautious with the gas pedal, he seems serious about teaching Arcade. They spend an hour or so in that abandoned lot, and while Arcade hasn't mastered driving, he's picked up the basics. If anything were to happen, he could probably take over the Highwayman and not crash them into a ditch. ED-E doesn't seem as confident in his skills as he does, but the eyebot is biased against him (citation not needed).

They rent a room at one of the more decent establishments in the Boneyard. He knows the neighborhood, one of the safer and more built up parts (from a distance, it almost looks pre-war). He might have gotten supplies at the trader across from this motel, but it's been too many years to perfectly recall. Six has been dealing with people who are amazed at the Highwayman, some a bit too interested. He makes sure his large plasma rifle is in clear sight for those tho think it'd be an easy fight. Not to mention he's been telling people ED-E can shoot losers that can melt mountains (“But don't worry, he's properly trained and loves people.”).

Six asks if Arcade wants to visit any places while here, any old Follower spots and old haunts. Arcade tells him he doesn't really have any, which is partially true. The Boneyard is literally a boneyard of old memories of his time as a Follower and medical student. There are so many memories here tied to this place. It makes him happy to see this place doing well, but sad that some of the darker and impoverished parts haven't changed.

Six says they'll stay an extra day, maybe a few days. He says it's because he finds the Boneyard interesting, but he feels there's more to it. Maybe Six has seen him looking off into the distance and at certain parts of town too long and with a nostalgic look. Maybe it's Brotherhood stuff, suddenly a need to pass along a message to contacts. Or Six could be simply telling the truth, and that whole 'structured time line' is just a charade.

ED-E is watching the Highwayman, firing two warning shots by the time it's late. The locals are more used to seeing robots and pre-war technology versus the Mojave, but that doesn't mean the occasional curious passerby will keep their distance and hands off things.

Six goes to some local general store to pick up some food and drinks. It's easy for Arcade to start recalling their previous time together, how they would squat during night in a rundown abandoned house or building. Six would start a fire, Boone would take the night shift, and Cass would give everyone just enough moonshine to sleep through the night despite whatever conditions they found themselves in. Raul would someone tell stories to them, and Veronica and Six always seemed the most interested. It was Arcade's role in the conversation to spout out some random pre-war fact and try to cover his ass later, and Cass would move the conversation along, sensing his fumbling.

Arcade would bandage Six up as he smoked a cigarette or drank Cass' moonshine. They would exchange some small talk, sometimes Arcade scolding him or not so subtly suggesting they take a specific course of action. It was hard to tell if Six was listening to him or not, and the only way he knew for sure is when Six did what he asked or didn't. Usually he did listen, though, which probably made him stick beside him much longer than he expected.

The door opens, Six carrying a brown paper bag. “This is place is livelier at night, just like the Strip.” He sets the bag down on the table Arcade is sitting near, taking out the contents. Various drinks that are more indigenous to this area and the standard Nuka-Cola.

“If you want, you can go out. I'll watch the Highwayman and make sure no one runs off with enough power armor and weapons to start a coup d'état over the price of non-irradiated water.” It's one of those times Arcade is only half joking.

“If only we had our own Project Purity.” Six opens a bottle of Nuka-Cola with one swift hand gesture, the bottle clap twirling in the air before it lands on the table.

“Sounds ominous, but clearly it's not.” Arcade's heard a few murmurs about something called Project Purity from the other coast, but things often get terribly mangled by the time they reach the other side of the country. By the lack of quick commentary or a joke, Arcade can only assume it's a Brotherhood thing. Is it supposed to be a secret? Six usually is good about keeping secrets and things to himself. Yet even Arcade has noticed he's been faltering lately. “If it's a Brotherhood thing you're not supposed to talk about-”

“No, it's fine.” He opens another bottle of Nuka-Cola, pushing it towards Arcade. “It's not exactly a top secret Brotherhood thing. They're involved, but some local scientists started it, and some vault kid finished it. Widespread clean and drinkable water that you don't need a pack of Radaway after drinking.”

“And I'm guessing since it involves a lot of technology, the Brotherhood took over, claiming they would be the most knowledgeable and the best suited for the job of managing said operation.” It's only a few seconds after him saying that and a combination of seeing Six's reaction that he sounded far harsher than his actual intention.

“You're not wrong.” This conversation has taken a much different turn in terms of tone. Arcade wants to redirect it, not wanting to start an argument. It makes sense Six would be defensive of the Brotherhood. Not blindly, but Arcade knows he can't take the moral high ground here.

Yet Six's response is unexpected, there's hesitance, even reluctance, but he doesn't hear a defense of the Brotherhood, instead, he hears something even more surprising. “The Enclave got involved. It was a mess from the reports I got passed along when I was looking into where Eddie came from.”

“It would be a mess, wouldn't it.” Arcade forces a smile, a fake smile that is out of awkwardness. He expects nothing less of anything proclaiming they're Enclave, but still. “What did they do this time?” He almost sounds like a parent with a troublesome child.

“Tried taking credit for coming up with the whole thing for some power grab, but when that failed, they tried to sabotage it with some virus.”

“The Enclave with their power grabs and viruses,” he has to laugh, because he expects to hear something like this, but still, part of him wishes they did something at least decent. Yet that's naive of him to think so, and he knows better. “It seems they didn't learn their lesson.”

He takes a sip of the Nuka-Cola, reflecting on what he's just been told. Now he sees why Six looked so awkward. Telling someone that has ties to the Enclave this sort of thing isn't a good late night conversation topic. “Apparently not. They paid heavily for it again.”

“They always do.” Arcade has to add some humor to this, as he's sure Six is hinting that a lot of Enclave people died, something to what happened over forty years ago.

Arcade may have been away from Six for a few years, but he knows when Six does that little nod, not saying anything as he breaks eye contact, it's his form of an apology. “It's fine. I'm too curious for my own good.” He tries to reassure him with a smile and a friendly tone. “I'm still mood killer, aren't I? As Cass would say. Not as much as Boone, but Cass and Veronica gave him a pass.”

That gets Six to laugh. “He's a bit better now – he smiles twice as much these days.”

“You know if you multiple something by zero, it's still zero.” Just thinking about the old gang makes him glad he decided to come along, even if he's unsure about Six's motives.

“He smiled at me a few times, once was a bit homicidal maniac like, but that's still considered a smile in the Mojave.” Arcade has a feeling as to what inspired the smiling but he doesn't mention it.

“So, have you caught up with him recently? Or did you spy on him, too?” Because Arcade hasn't forgotten about Six lightly putting he's been spying on him, or what he called, 'keeping tabs on'.

Six finishes a sip of Nuka-Cola, looking very thrown off at that curve ball of an accusation. “Don't think I forgot. I was just waiting for the right time to bring it up, preferably not in the car and with an eyebot watching us.”

“I met up with him maybe three months ago. I need some good outpost and sniper nest locations in the Big Empty so I brought him there. It took a lot of convincing before that.” Arcade once again feels almost... is it jealous? Veronica it makes sense, even Raul because of the Highwayman and his repair skills, but Boone? Couldn't Six find some Brotherhood sniper? Wouldn't the Brotherhood need a lot of convincing to let some ex-NCR soldier being involved in something like that? “He hated it there; he almost destroyed my toaster when they got into a fight. The light switches liked him, though, said he was dark and mysterious.”

Arcade isn't sure how Boone, or well, anyone could get into a fight with a toaster, but those don't stick in his mind. Boone, someone who he considered the most reclusive and unsocial out of all of them, has been in contact with Six. It sounds like it wasn't just a one time meeting, too, which unnerves him even more.

“So, about the spying on me.” He redirects, trying to curb the annoyance in his voice, but it still slips in. On purpose or not, he's not sure.

“Keeping tabs on. I didn't send some paladin out to track you and record holotapes on what you were doing.”

“So what did you do? Because however you frame it, I think I deserved better than that.”

“I said it was a mistake.” Only then Six sounds defensive, but Arcade isn't exactly restraining himself.

“Yes, but I'd like to hear why you did it. You seem fine with meeting some of your other companions in a normal fashion. Yet with me, you suddenly went covert operations, out of sight and hidden away as you tracked my moves. I'm surprised you didn't wear some Chinese stealth suit and send back notes on what I was doing to your overlord.” Anger has clearly won over his state of mind as he speaks.

He's seen Six look angry only a handful of times, usually because of Benny or the Legion. He's not quite there, but he's flustered and upset him enough to get a clear facial reaction. “It sounds like you've come to your own conclusion.”

“Well, it's not like you've been good at answering my questions and filling me in. I had to come to my own conclusions to fill all the gaps.” He escalates the conversation, and they're hitting that tipping point where Arcade just can't deal with all the secrecy and vague answers.

Maybe it's not smart to verbally rip apart Six like this, especially since it would take at least a month to get back to the Mojave from here. The NCR has too much of a strong grip on the Boneyard for him to stay without his Enclave roots being found out. It would be as simple as some old timer seeing a glimpse of his power armor and telling the NCR. People still tell tales of the Enclave here, of a monster in power armor and vertibirds that would swoop in and kidnap whole towns.

Arcade waits for a response from Six. He counts to ten, but there still isn't anything. “I suppose our domestic bliss could only last for so long. Maybe we have changed too much or we aren't distracted by things trying to kill us enough to work well together anymore.”

He gets up, starting to walk away. Part of him wants Six to grab his arm, tell him to wait, and explain everything. Yet as he moves, slowly, Six doesn't move. He opens the door, gives one look back, and closes the door.

Six doesn't say a single word, doesn't tell him to stop. He just lets him go.

Walking around alone in the Boneyard at night is a terrible idea generally, and he's not exactly wearing any armor to ward off any petty criminals that may try mugging him. He does have a weapon, his trusty plasma defender, but it's not a large flashy weapon that will keep people away. It also doesn't help he's not exactly the most intimidating out of power armor.

The drunkards and addicts are trying to scrounge for caps, the sex workers and people looking to scam tourists are out in full swing, and Arcade knows this part of town is rather dangerous. It's not like he's purposely putting himself in harms way to piss off Six, this isn't about Six. At least he tells himself, because his thoughts have been too clouded and consumed by him for it to be close to healthy.

He has a destination in mind, the university the Followers set up to teach medicine. Six brought up the idea of Arcade visiting anywhere, and this is the only place he could really see himself going to. Even a quick glance would probably satiate him, to see the Followers are doing well here since they're struggling immensely in the Mojave. He remembers the nights of falling asleep in a library corner, a portrait of Nicole staring down on him like she was watching over him.

Yet it doesn't make sense, him seeing how they're doing, as it's late at night. Maybe they'd be a few students pulling all nighters or some working at the clinic. The clinic was always busy back when he was a young med student, and he doubts it's changed much.

As he approaches the establishment, he sees lights are still on, so his possibly theories could be correct. He's surprised that so far only one person has tried to mug him, and the mugger backed off pretty quickly when Arcade pointed his plasma defender in the mugger's face. He also pulled out his best intimidating voice, which might have helped a little.

The main doors are unlocked, and pushing past them, he hears the rustling of footsteps. He soon sees young med students who look like they're running on canned foods and coffee. He walks past the hall, completely ignored as everyone around him is doing something or rushing off somewhere.

He walks past the clinic, and just as expected, it's busy. He tells himself he'll get one quick look in, not to distract anyone or get in the way. Yet he ends up walking inside, seeing a group of interns struggle with a patient.

“It's not a Jet overdose,” he says, walking over to get a better look at the patient the interns are trying to help.

“His pupils are enlarged, and the lack of any marks on his arms rules out Psycho.” One of the interns responds to him.

“Med-X overdose also wouldn't present such symptoms.” Another comments, and he can feel all these young interns judging him.

“Visible injection sites,” he clarifies, watching the interns move aside as he approaches the patient. “Most addicts end up sticking it anywhere they can because most veins collapse on themselves before they can get a steady flow going.” He looks at the patients eyes, his arms, and some areas of his neck before he looks at the interns again. “Did you ask him if he's light sensitive? This could be a combination of something. Most addicts will mix whatever they find to try to balance out any bad side effects.” They shake their heads and Arcade sighs a little.

“The colors... bright lights.” The patient says to him. “No darkness and shadows.”

Arcade pauses, thinking that clue over. Then he realizes what it could be, recalling a time Six took too much Cateye with some Steady. This was back in their earlier travels, Six using chems a lot more frequently back then. Arcade always assumed it was a method of self medicating due to his amnesia and possible brain trauma. He hasn't seen Six touch a single chem recently, and he doubts the Brotherhood would tolerate an addict in its ranks. He remembers giving Six Fixer a few times early on, but after killing Benny, Six's chem usage dropped dramatically.

“He's overdosed on Steady, and you got the added bonus of him taking too much Cateye to make you think it's a Jet overdose.” He feels a surge of energy, rather proud he figured it out. “The Cateye shouldn't be a problem, and I hope you all know how to treat Steady addiction. I think that was one of the first things we learned after Jet and Med-X.” Arcade doesn't even catch the fact he uses 'we' until the interns stare at him, slightly confused.

“You're a Follower? Are you a professor or doctor sent in to check up on us?” When he's asked that, he frowns. It's not that he dislikes being associated with the Followers or mistaken for one, but it's a life he's left behind.

He could lie, say he's just a doctor, but he doesn't. “I worked in the Mormon Fort for a while but retired.” He doesn't want to give too many details away, but he's still not the best at lying. “It seems I can still be dragged out of retirement when needed.”

“The Mormon Fort? That place is a mess, and they're always looking for people to help out there. Ever since the NCR left, no one wants to work there.” He's slightly disappointed to hear that, but it's expected. Working in the Boneyard isn't always easy, but the Followers have power and resources here unlike in the Mojave.

“It's getting better, slowly.” He can't say otherwise as it's unstable there. Six did all he could, but an independent New Vegas hasn't been as picturesque as he hoped. “With more help from the Followers and the locals supporting themselves and their local governing bodies, it will make a strong comeback.”

“Well, it sounds like maybe you should come out of retirement if you're as skilled as you've just shown.” It's meant to be a compliment, he knows that when the intern says that to him, but it doesn't feel like one. “They could use you.”

“Or maybe you all should get good first-hand experience there. Ask for any contacts that know Julie Farkas.” He swings the conversation around so it's not longer about him. It's easier to have the focus not on him.

“Maybe,” one of them says. “Thank you for helping, but we'll have to ask you to return back to the waiting area. You know, standard procedure.” Arcade nods, giving a little wave before he walks away and out of the clinic. There's no need for him to stay any longer and reminisce.

As he exits the university, he can't stop thinking about the interns. Were they right? Should he have remained with the Followers and helped at the Mormon Fort? They could use all the help they can get, yet instead of that, he's off doing his own thing. Hopefully teaching the local governance and protecting them from raiders is just as productive. Maybe he's giving himself too much credit at the impact he could possibly be making if he were with the Followers. After all, he wasn't the best doctor there, just used to seeing chem addicts of all shades pass through.

It's only a few steps out of the university that he runs into a very familiar eyebot, looking as if it has been waiting for him.

He sighs.

“Did Six send you?” He asks, and ED-E beeps twice. Arcade remembers the system he used earlier to communicate and ask ED-E questions back in Six's bunker.

“Did he tell you to say no if I asked you that question?” Another two beeps. “Don't tell me, you were worried about me or Six because we got into a fight.” His voice is dripping with sarcasm, something he doubts an eyebot can pick up. He expects ED-E to promptly give him two beeps, but instead there's a singular beep. “Let's see, you're probably worried about me even though I've said multiple times I wouldn't mind if you found yourself at the bottom of Lake Mead.” The sarcasm is still there, and once again, a single beep.

“You... you were actually worried about me?” He drops the sarcastic act, now genuinely curious. ED-E beeps once, doing a little spin in the air. “You surprise me, eye-” he stops himself. “Eddie.” He smiles, reaching out to pat the robot on the head much like how Six does. “It probably isn't a good idea to be seen with an eyebot around here, but it's dark enough that it should be fine.”

He pulls his hand back, looking around. “I guess that means I should head back to the motel room and try to work things out with Six.” ED-E responds positively, a victory beep follows his words.

Arcade returns to the motel, seeing a few more scorch marks near the Highwayman parked in front of the room. He has a feeling Six knows he's returned, and while he's a bit anxious, he knows talking things out is inevitable. Too long they've both put off confronting things, ignoring they've been out of contact longer than the time they spent together. While their time together was life changing to say the least, it was still shorter than two years. What followed after Hoover Dam has led both of them to clearly change.

As if ED-E can sense his nerves, the eyebot plays its victory sound clip, encouraging him to open the door.

Arcade looks briefly at the robot, acknowledging its pep talk. “The worst thing that could happen is that he turns me over to the closest Brotherhood chapter, right? Or guns me down. Maybe even take my power armor and-” ED-E looks like it is huffing at him, negatively beeping. “I'm not delaying anything, just stating you will be the only per-” he catches himself. “Robot that will know that I, Arcade Gannon, met my end here.”

He looks back at the door, sighing. “Well, here it goes.” He mutters to himself, knocking at the door.

There's no response, and so he counts to five to himself, knocking once again. There's still no response. “Well, you can't say I didn't-” ED-E quickly interrupts him, once again negatively beeping at him. “I was joking, just testing out your response time. I totally wouldn't have left and walked away.” He would have just tried ten minutes or so later, maybe wait in the car and sleep in there.

He tries to open the door, realizing it's unlocked. He opens it, seeing the front room is empty. He can faintly hear music, making out some of the words.

But it wouldn't be make believe if you believed in me.

“Six?” He asks, and he can hear a click, the music stopping as he closes the door behind him.

Six enters the main part of the room, staring at him. Six doesn't even look angry, but instead, rather composed. Arcade feels like he needs to say something because he already can't stand the tension building between them.

“I brought Eddie back.” He looks at some random furniture instead of Six. “A lost eyebot is the last thing you need. Next thing you know, the NCR will got a hold of it and you'll be moved up to number one on their kill list if you're not already at number one of course. Yet there still is the Legion and-” he doesn't even realize he's rambling, only stopping when Six cuts him off.

“The Brotherhood had suspicions about you.” The words cut through the tense atmosphere in seconds. “Some NCR soldier recognized your power armor and reported it, but since there was so much chaos with the NCR leaving, they couldn't follow up.” He's not surprised to hear that, but he still doesn't understand how that connects the Brotherhood.

“Some paladin was in charge of gathering suspicious or strange NCR communications and intel and found the report.” There it is. Arcade knows he couldn't hide it forever, but he was more focused on the NCR than the Brotherhood. “Some of the Brotherhood saw your armor at the time, but it was something for the archives; they weren't scared of what they thought was very dead and long gone. One person in power armor fighting at the dam, they have more urgent things to worry about.”

Six's tone starts to change, and Arcade knows this is where it gets bad. “But ever since the lock down ended, reports from chapters in the east came pouring in, all saying how the Enclave came back.” Arcade looks at Six, and he can tell this is something he's reluctant to talk about. “I asked why they were scared, they're all over there, the reports years old.”

Six pauses, and finally their eyes meet. “McNamara connected the dots, knew more than the others, and knew we were connected. I told him you were no way involved in that shitstorm in the east, and he believed me, but he said it'd be best if I distanced myself from you.”

All this time, Arcade thought it was something small or petty, that Six was just too busy for him or possibly moved on and started a new life. Yet this is much grimmer, much more complex than him being neglected or forgotten about. He feels like an immature child, petulance consuming them and being blinded by reality.

“And so you did.” Arcade finally speaks, and he wishes he could say something more reassuring, but he can't.

“Sort of. I did check up on you once in a while to make sure other Brotherhood members weren't watching you.” Yet now the questions that comes to Arcade's mind is why this suddenly changed, from trying to make sure they aren't seen together to being almost inseparable. “Deleted a few things from the archive with Veronica's help.”

“What changed? I mean, you're clearly not keeping your distance now.” It's always Arcade who tries to diffuse tension with a touch of sarcastic humor. “Or did you get a permission slip?”

“I wish,” it makes Six smile, but it's short lived, a more somber look returning. “More reports from the east, the final one on the topic came in a few months ago. The scramble of different leaders, hierarchy problems.”

“Wouldn't more reports worry them?” As soon as Six shakes his head, Arcade realizes his question is naive and foolish. He remembers Six saying earlier the Enclave paid dearly for what they did on the east coast. “It was that bad, wasn't it?” Even if the Enclave has done terrible things, there are children and families that get dragged along in that mess, and Arcade knows that first hand.

“Operation Broken Steel they called it, and once the sweep was done, they released the last report. The Brotherhood is apparently always slow and thorough with these things.” Part of Arcade wants to ask Six more details, but he has heard enough; he knows how this all plays out, how war doesn't change. “ McNamara said it was slow because they didn't want the Enclave rising from its own ashes again, and the leadership wasn't steady.”

Six probably can see his shoulders sinking, see how he turns away because the topic is edging into an area too personal and sensitive. He feels a hand on his shoulder, their personal space growing smaller. “You don't have to tell me I'm not like them, that I'm not some Enclave soldier, that I shouldn't feel-”

“I wasn't going to say that,” he can feel Six's breath against his skin. “You decide what you are and how you feel, and whatever that is, I'll stand beside you.”

Hearing those words almost make it seem like they never spent a day apart, that those two years apart never happened. He feels as close to Six as the day he put on his father's power armor and told him he was going to fight alongside the remnants at the battle of Hoover Dam. Then he remembers something else due to the surge of emotions and memories.

“My answer is yes,” Arcade says, and before Six can ask what he's talking about, he clarifies. “I want to go to Navarro with you and with Eddie.”

“All right,” Six looks a little thrown off, but pleasantly surprised. “We'll go together, the three of us.” And if to seal the deal, Arcade kisses him.

It's different from the other kisses, not so rushed, not so impatient and lustful. It's slow, romantic and delicate in nature, and for a second, it feels like whatever is between them is more than just friends with benefits or a brief fling. He never pictured a kiss with Six like this, but most of his fantasies were never this domestic and sentimental, he'll admit that.

But this is Six, a product of the Mojave, and that one docile kiss ends up being followed by wandering hands and Arcade being pushed onto the bed under a minute later. Arcade is a product of the Mojave and California with a touch of old world blues. He's plenty able to keep up, though. He might be sore in the morning and need a touch of Med-X or a good back massage, but he's not going to ask Six to slow down, no way.

Arcade swears he hears ED-E's victory beep, but he's much too distracted to confirm as Six is jerking him off, trying to make him harder. Hell, ED-E probably could have started a self destruct sequence and the two of them would have been so wrapped up in each other (literally) they wouldn't have noticed.

The next morning, Arcade wakes up to an empty bed, feeling a sense of déjà vu as he calls out for Six but not getting a response. He has to remind himself he's in a motel rather than at his current residence (calling it home feels wrong). After putting some clothes on and freshening up (he might have taken much longer than necessary to find his glasses), he notices a small note on the table from Six saying he's out with ED-E to see a few things and get breakfast for them.

He hopes Six gets them coffee – it's easier to get coffee here than out in the Mojave. It's probably nothing like the coffee from the pre-war times, but it's better in California at the very least. He also begins to debate if he should stay here and wait for Six or possibly take a morning walk. It feels strange to be traveling with Six and not walking until his legs are too sore to move, feet feeling like they might fall off.

He misses those days, or maybe everything seems rose tinted now that it's in the past and set in stone. Even the times where Six got himself into a cazador's nest or picked a fight with a matriarch deathclaw doesn't seem so bad now. Yet at the time, he remembers lecturing Six as he patched him up, Arcade saying he can't find this Benny guy if he's dead. Yet after finding Benny, that's when things stop being so rose tinted, and it's harder to ignore the bad things that eventually accumulated to Six creating an independent New Vegas. He's disappointed, but not surprised, things didn't turn out as he hoped. He doesn't blame Six for that, he's not sure who or what to blame. Arcade insisted Six take this path, so maybe he should take partial blame if he were to start blaming people. He can't even be furious about Six and the Brotherhood because he takes partial responsibility for that. After all, if Six gave the reigns to the NCR, he wouldn't have needed the Brotherhood's cooperation and support.

Arcade must have gotten lost in thought longer than he thinks, as what pulls him back into reality is the door opening. Six is standing beside ED-E who beeps to him a good morning greeting while Six looks like he's brought some supplies back.

“I think this place is growing on me.” He sets down the supplies, Arcade not moving towards him, but watching him. “Not sure if that's a good thing.” They both laugh, Six taking a seat in the empty chair.

“I thought about coming back here a few times.” Arcade says, thinking back to one of his possible back up plans if things went sour in New Vegas. “Mostly when the Mojave was trying to kill me and you were in a state of perpetual danger.” It probably wasn't the most practical of plans, but him helping out New Vegas isn't entirely too practical in retrospect.

“That often?” Six's interpretation of his comment is logical, but it isn't correct. Maybe Arcade is misleading him by accident. “Maybe in time you could come back and settle down.”

It's nice to hear that, so Arcade gives him a little smile, but they both know that isn't entirely possible or would be easy. “Maybe.” He replies, feeling that optimism comes much easier to him with Six around again.

It's quiet after that, and they split a deathclaw omelette (Six insists it's not a deathclaw egg but probably a gecko's) and bread. Six doesn't get coffee, but he's not disappointed. After they finish eating, Six smokes a cigarette, and the silence between them still persists. Yet they're not ignoring each other or pretending the other person isn't there. They share glances, some body language, and unspoken words.

Arcade is about to say something when it's Six who speaks, putting out his cigarette. “You sure you don't want to see anything before we head out tomorrow?”

While Arcade trusts him, he's cautious about opening up and exposing his raw feelings again like he did the night before. It's a tiring experience and rather embarrassing the day after. Six is opening up to him, yes, but it'll take a bit more time for him to not over think things (a bad habit of his).

“Not really,” is it true? Arcade isn't sure himself, as he could easily be lying to himself. “If you want, we can visit places the Vault Dweller visited when he was here.” He's not sure of all the places, but he knows of the most famous ones of the top of his head. “You might actually find it interesting once you see past all the NCR propaganda.” He tries not to sound to bitter, and it's not to mock the Vault Dweller, but merely to mock how the NCR has twisted things into self serving propaganda.

Arcade brings up the suggestion because his thoughts from earlier this morning reminded him of the first time he saw Six at the Mormon Fort. Arcade remembers him wearing a Vault 13 jumpsuit with some added armor, sipping out of a Vault 13 canteen. Arcade assumed back then Six was a big fan of the Vault Dweller, but eventually when Arcade asked about all the memorabilia, he had no idea about the tale of the Vault Dweller nor what was special about Vault 13. Six told him the stuff was in his pack and that he had no idea how he got it due to his amnesia, but it felt wrong of him to barter the stuff off even when he was desperate for caps. A few nights later when Arcade had to stitch up a bad gash Six got from a deathclaw, he told him the basic story of the Vault Dweller and how a task of getting a water chip ended up setting a foundation that changed California and the Western Wasteland forever. Arcade wonders if the story inspired Six, but he never got the chance to ask, and now it doesn't matter.

“Would you be my tour guide?” He sees that grin on Six's face, knowing his tone a mixture of flirtatious and teasing.

“If you want to call it that, but if I do it, you can't criticize my attempt at recalling trivia and factoids that young NCR citizens are told at bed time; a programmed Mister Handy would do a much better job.” He remembers seeing them when he was younger reciting NCR history, but he's not sure if any of the catered solely to Vault Dweller history. The Followers have a connection to the Vault Dweller, too, but that's often overshadowed. Without the Followers, the Vault Dweller never would have been able to find the Master so soon.

“Maybe, but I don't think any Mister Handy would be nearly as charming.” Arcade has to laugh at that, not only for the brief mental image but for the attempt at flattery.

“There you go again. They can slap power armor on you and make you read their codex, but they still can't take the Mojave out of you.”

“I don't think they could if they tried.” Six leans in, closing some of the space between them. “And I never read the codex, barely made it through the abridged version.” He fakes a whisper, Arcade fully knowing it's a joke. Well, the secret part, anyway.

Arcade is once again reminded how un-Brotherhood like Six is. Veronica doesn't exactly scream Brotherhood, but he's still baffled at Six still staying with them. Six told him it was to secure an alliance for New Vegas, and this was back before Arcade revealed his connection to the Enclave. He wants to ask why he's remained loyal, but he's not sure he wants to hear the response if it's something more than the response he got two years ago.

“I won't tell Veronica if you don't get on my case if I accidentally give an incorrect date or mix up a person's name.” He probably won't, and he has no idea where Veronica is, so it's an empty threat – Six probably knows that, too.

“Deal.” Six offers his hand and Arcade shakes it.

Only after talking to a few people near the motel, they find out about a museum dedicated the Vault Dweller. Well, more like Six initiates the asking and Arcade asks questions to make sure it isn't some scam.

It isn't too far from their motel, somewhere in the relative area of original great library where the Followers' first headquarters is located. Yet Six insists on driving, not that Arcade minds, as he's probably getting too comfortable driving around rather than walking everywhere. It would have been nice to have a car back when they were traveling together, especially when they had to make the long journey from Freeside to Jacobstown.

It's hard to miss the museum, a smaller sized replica of the statue of the Vault Dweller stands in front of its entrance (as a child he saw the original in Shady Sands, but that was a long time ago). It looks like museum is sponsored by the NCR, which isn't surprising, so Arcade expects some added NCR flare to the Vault Dweller's tale.

Six parks the car in an alley not too far from it, a spot where most pedestrians wouldn't walk past. This part of the Boneyard is better about crime, and it looks that way judging by the buildings and amount of people comfortably walking around.

Six is remarkably clam, hands in pocket, even whistling a tune from a song Arcade can't quite remember. They're literally walking into an NCR building, but the other man acts like he isn't one of the most hated NCR figures and not a member of the Brotherhood of Steel. It's not that Arcade is scared of the NCR, but cautious is a good word, especially considering what Six told him last night. The NCR needs to redeem themselves publicly, make up for their loss in the east, so putting either of them on trails for war crimes or crimes against the NCR would bolster public support and rally their citizens.

“Maybe we should leave the eyebot in the car, just saying.” He does voice that concern at least.

Arcade gets looked at like Six has no idea about what sort of circumstances they are in or where they are. ED-E doesn't sound too happy by its beeping either. “It's fine. If anyone says anything, I'll just say Eddie is my seeing eye robot companion, isn't that right?” He pats the robot on the head, laughing at his own joke.

On the other hand, Arcade isn't nearly as amused, but he resigns and sighs. “Very funny. I wonder if you'll find it funny when we're dragged away by gun point and used in some NCR publicity stunt.” It's sarcastic, but he wants to make a point.

Six blinks, looking a bit confused. “I wouldn't let that happen.” He slaps Arcade on the back. “Now come on, Eddie and I want you to be our tour guide.” Arcade can't tell if Six acting so carefree is a ruse or he simply knows something he doesn't.

The museum itself is rather quiet, only a few people and a few staff members. One old woman even claims to be related to the Katja who traveled with the Vault Dweller himself. The woman talks to Six, telling him tales of Katja and the Vault Dweller. Six listens to her, and Arcade thinks it's out mere politeness because the woman is talking his hear off, but it seems like there is actual interest there (and like Six would just for the sake of being polite). She tells him how the Boneyard used to be much rougher in those days, and that only in the last twenty or so years has it become more stable. Arcade chimes in that it's still a place where people will compliment you as they screw you over.

They walk and see various memorabilia, and Arcade doubts the actual authenticity of them all. He does tell Six random facts he knows about the Vault Dweller, but he's rather useless as a tour guide, but Six doesn't seem to mind. The only thing that seems authentic is a pistol the Vault Dweller used, encased in glass and guarded by a sentry bot. Six gets too close at one point, the robot telling him to back off (and ED-E seems to communicate in robot beeps back quite angrily).

They see a vault thirteen canister, much like the one Six has. The plaque under it says it's a donation from a Vault City citizen named Valerie. Arcade looks at Six, who looks confused. “It's like the one you have.”

“Sort of, something's off about it.”

“It's probably just another vault thirteen canteen or a replica. I doubt it actually belonged to the Vault Dweller.” Yet that answer doesn't seem to satisfy him, still staring at it. “What about your vault thirteen stuff?”

“It's back in the Big Empty.” Six hasn't broken eye contact with the canteen, which Arcade wonders if there's something going on here. Yet asking, he rather no intrude just yet. It could be tied to his amnesia. “I haven't taken it out for a while.”

Arcade just nods, moving onto a small replica of the Mariposa base in which the FEV virus is from. It gets Arcade thinking about how the Enclave enslaved humans to mine out the remnants of the place, which lead to the second generation of super mutants. While he wasn't a soldier of the Enclave, or even born when all this happened, there's still a sense of guilt and an uncomfortable feeling he can't shake at being reminded of what sort of things happened.

He's not sure when it happens, but he's left alone with ED-E, no sign of Six.

The both of them track down the former glorified mailman outside smoking a cigarette. There's a somber look on Six's face, the kind Arcade knows when the other man is actually thinking about something rather than just reacting.

“Bored already? You missed the five holotapes all about how the Vault Dweller encompassed what being a true NCR citizen is. Even if he never really swore allegiance to them, sort of, no one really knows. And the gift shop, I'm surprised you didn't buy yourself some tacky souvenir that still has traces of radiation like the ones you picked up in Novac.” He's rambling because he doesn't know what to say or what to do exactly. He's hoping something will happen that will make things less awkward.

“Arcade?” Six isn't looking at when he says his name.

“Yes?” He's hoping this interlude into a more mutual conversation doesn't lead to him embarrassing himself.

“I know my memory's all messed up-”

“That's putting it lightly, but yes, some form of amnesia due to traumatic brain trauma.”

“- but something about vault thirteen, it's always had some attachment to me. I can't explain it.”

Arcade never gave it much thought, but could it be possible Six is related to someone from Vault 13? It's not the most outlandish thing.

“Do you think you're descended from someone who originally lived in that vault? What about your mother?” Oddly enough, even though this whole trip was going to Modoc and finding Six's mother, they haven't spoken about it since it was brought up. Maybe it was all a cover for something else, but Six could've come up with a much better lie and something far less messy than family.

“No, she was born in Modoc. Her brother is still there, I think. He runs a slaughterhouse that he inherited from his old man.”

“So she's not there anymore?”

“I don't know. I just got records of her being there and getting married in Modoc.” Married? It seems Six knows more than just his mother's hometown. Is he hiding something again? Yet it's not exactly hiding when he hasn't asked about it. Arcade isn't the best at talking about family, so he it might be the same for him.

“What about your father?” Talk about a conversation killer, he feels a bit of regret when he sees Six's posture change in a matter of seconds after asking. He fully knows how talking about parents can dredge up feelings that are best kept to oneself or with a bottle of alcohol. “Look, if you don't want to-”

“He wasn't from there.” That quick shot of a reply is a bit startling, even suspicious, but poking at a sensitive topic right here isn't a good idea.

“Maybe going there, we can talk to the residents and see if they know more. While even smaller towns in California are better at keeping records than places out east, talking to people seems to work better; the Followers are good at that, even if I never really was a part of that approach.” That reassurance seems to do the trick, a nod coming from Six as he takes one last drag before he puts out his cigarette.

“Yeah. Maybe my possible uncle is still alive and can point us in the right direction.” Six's grinds the cigarette in the ground, faintly smiling now. “Come on, I think I saw something Veronica would like in the gift shop.” Hands in pockets, he walks back towards the museum.

Six ends up being several souvenirs, even insisting on getting Arcade a nuka-cola bottle with a poorly painted on Vault 13 over its original logo. The coffee mug Six picked up looks much better, but he says the coffee mug is for that one robot named Muggy he mentioned previously.

They pick up some late lunch before heading back to the motel. While they didn't do too much, being lazy and lounging around is a luxury both of them haven't really indulged in. Sitting and doing nothing usually means Arcade getting lost in thought, starting to worry about things or starting to wonder why he's not doing something. For the past two years, he's kept very busy, probably far too busy if he were good about keeping his stress low. Yet he wouldn't trade it, as there is some happiness and self fulfillment despite how he's disappointed in how an independent New Vegas has turned out in some ways.

It's randomly at night, when Arcade is half awake, his glassing slipping down his nose that Six starts the most random conversation with him. He's wondering why the both of them aren't sleeping, knowing they'll have to wake up early tomorrow.

“Do you remember that woman, a Follower, that helped Benny create Yes Man?” It's been a while since he's heard the name Benny spoken by Six or even thought about the robot. Yet Arcade does know who he's talking about, because he remembers Emily quite well.

“Emily,” he still remembers how she completely ignored him over Six. “We both worked in the Mormon Fort together for a time. Why?”

“She was from Arroyo,” Arcade doesn't remember that, but it's possible. Yet he finds it strange Six can't recall her name but remembers where she's from. It could be a courier thing – knowing where something originates from and its intended destination. “The Chosen One, that famous tribal, is from there.”

“According to the barely consistent records.” He's still not sure where Six is going with this, and he's too tired to start thinking up multiple theories as to why they're currently partaking in such a exchange (and why Arcade is indulging him instead of telling him to sleep). “I don't know much about Arroyo or the Chosen One, so sadly I can't tell you a bedtime story about them.” Six laughs softly as his attempt at humor, fully knowing it's not a subtle nudge to point out they should be sleeping. “Is there a particular reason you suddenly remember her? You didn't know her for that long, and let's not point out the obvious with your memory condition.” That Arcade knows of.

“Mhmm...” Six hums out, and that sound isn't reassuring. “Not for long, but we had a few drinks. She said I looked familiar, but that could've been from the one too many atomic cocktails she had.” He doesn't remember this occurring, but he wasn't constantly with Six nor did he watch him constantly. It was a chaotic time after all, and while some memories are sharp, some are rose tinted and distorted. “She told me a bit about Arroyo, and going to that museum reminded me of her.” Arcade can't help but shake a feeling that there's more being unsaid that actually said.

“I'm sure she's glad you remember her.” Of course he's sarcastic when he says this, as it's much easier to be sarcastic than question Six's line of thinking. “Now, sleep?” Even with his glasses not properly on, Arcade can make out Six's facial expression that indicates he wants to say something more, but instead of speaking, he nods.

“Right.” Six replies. “I better enjoy sleeping in a bed while I can.”

Part of him wants to ask too many follow up questions, to pry. He feels like he doesn't belong with him on this personal journey. He wonders if it's the time apart or the past two years makes him hold back from asking. It's easier for him to deflect and be sarcastic than start a sincere conversation. Sincere conversations make him stutter and question everything he's saying.


	3. Navarro

He wakes up to piercing shot, a gunshot to be exact. Then the smell of salt- no, the ocean. Ocean air is distinctive enough that no amount of years or consciousness can mistake his judgment. He remembers the smell, his mother looking into the distance, clutching his hand as she recalls the oil rig sinking. The ocean reminds of the oil rig sinking, of an event that happened before his birth. So many things remind him of things he was too young to understand or took place before his birth. The scent of gunpowder mimics the smell of burning oil for brief few seconds, bringing it all full circle.  
  
He mutters some words to himself, in Latin because his mother taught him some manners. He touches his face, feeling that he's wearing his glasses. His vision finally clears, and it takes him a few seconds to realize he's in the backseat of the Highwayman. He has to think how he got here, soon remembering being half awake in the back of the car. He slept poorly the night before, but he's surprised he slept this well in a car.

He sees Six aiming a sniper rifle, hands not on the wheel of the car. “I thought you knew how to-!” But before he can finish his sentence, Six fires another shot, ED-E's victory beep soon following. That's when he realizes they aren't moving, that they're pulled off to the side of a relic of a road.  
  
He looks out the window, and it's the ocean, the sun reflecting off it. Just looking at the view makes him forget what he's about to say. He hasn't seen the ocean in so long. He doesn't miss it exactly, but it's a reminder, a connection to a past that is his but not.  
  
“Had to take out some raiders up ahead.” A sort of apology from Six turns his gaze from the ocean back to the interior of the car. “I'm getting rusty with sniping with an actual gun. I missed it.”  
  
“Target practice,” Arcade's mind still isn't as focused as he wants it to be. “Like the old days.”  
  
“Yeah, like the old days.” Six pulls the gun back, resting it against the front seat next to him. “Slept well?”  
  
“You tell me. How many hours has it been since we left the Boneyard?” He's thinking maybe a few, three at the most.  
  
Six checks his pipboy briefly before looking at Arcade in the rear-view mirror. “Six, almost seven hours.”  
  
Arcade slumps down, his shoulders sinking into the seats. He was thinking he was out for three hours at the most, not six.“Where are we now?”  
  
“Somewhere south of San Francisco. Eddie wanted to show me the ocean, so I took the coastal route.”  
  
Hearing they aren't far from San Francisco makes him think how fitting it is that he's been thinking about the oil rig and its sinking. “The ruins of San Francisco, you mean.”  
  
“I just know there's a chapter over there, not as big as it used to be, but there.” Arcade isn't sure why Six is telling him this, but Arcade isn't telling him why he made the clarification of ruins. “Something's there.”  
  
“Rebuilding always happens,” and he doubts the Brotherhood helped with that. “Do you want to see what's there?” More like who since the Brotherhood was brought up.  
  
Six shakes his head. “We'll pass by it if we keep near the coast. I have some contacts in Sac-Town if we need anything, but that's more inland and up north.”  
  
Arcade has kept at least one eye on the coastline the entire conversation. He doesn't mean to be rude, but knowing they're not far from San Francisco, where the Enclave oil rig once was, something is stirring inside him. It makes him feel uneasy to put it simply if that's even possible. He doesn't feel a connection, a yearning for it similar to a childhood home, but something between a mix of old world blues and guilt spliced together if that's comprehensible.  
  
They continue driving on, and he will admit there is an underlying beauty to the scenery here even mankind couldn't kill off. He wonders if Earth has moved on better than some parts of humanity; nature tried to keep going and start anew seconds after the bombs fell, but it took a hundred years or so for a generation of humankind to move fully past what happened. After all, if a person asked a random person in the Wasteland if they're mad at China for bombing or the government, upset at what was lost, most people wouldn't care or just shrug it off (this is, of course, they know the history and don't ask, “What's a China?”).  
  
A few hours pass, maybe two or three. The sun is beating down harder, but the ocean breeze keeps things cool. It's always a bit colder and wetter here than the Boneyard, something he actually prefers. At least it isn't Mojave desert cold, he doesn't like that sort of cold.  
  
If he looks to his right he can see the ruins of the Golden Gate bridge off in the distance. His suspicion about people rebuilding after the Enclave bombed the area is confirmed, but rebuilding has become an inevitable part of the Wasteland.  
  
“Let's break here.” Six's voice stops him from continuing that internal dialog and possible tangent as he pulls the car over to the side of the road.  
  
Six probably needs a break from driving like how vertibird pilots are recommended to not fly more than six hours at a time unless it's an emergency. They're still by the ocean, but it looks like they pulled off near a beach rather than just a rocky coastline like what most of the coast is like.

Six gets out of the car first, ED-E right next to him as leans against the car and starts smoking a cigarette. He doubts a smoking is the only reason they pulled over even if Arcade has admitted to not liking the smell of cigarettes (though, most smells found commonly throughout the Wasteland are putrid and acrid things he doesn't like).  
  
He has enough self-awareness to assume he probably looks awkward right about now. He's just staring out into the ocean, once again thinking about events he wasn't even alive for.  
  
“You can go down to the water, get closer if you want.” Arcade doesn't understand where Six gets this impression he likes beaches, but then he quickly recalls how he's been staring out into the ocean without much context as to why. “We have enough Rad-X and RadAway, and Eddie will shoot at anything that tries to sneak up on you.”  
  
“I don't. I get sunburned easily and the wet sand makes me itch so that basically means me enjoying any beach will only be done via holotape only.”  
  
“My mistake. Still a good place to take a piss and enjoy the view.” Six puts his cigarette out by dropping it and letting his right foot finishing it off. “You like the view at least.”  
  
“It is beautiful, yes.” Now it's him trying not to let all his secrets and inner thoughts spill out at once, but he does a much poorer job at it. “It makes you forget miles out into the ocean a massive military complex and headquarters ruined the lives of a majority of the west coast.” Maybe he's not good at this because deep down he really does want to talk about it, open up to someone and not feel judged.

  
“I don't think you've forgotten what happened.” Part of Arcade hoped Six would just let the topic drop, fully knowing they're talking about the oil rig. “How far out was it from here?”  
  
“One hundred seventy-five miles.” It's not even a number he has to dig into his mind and spend time recalling. “It's all sunken now, ten thousand feet below if any of it stayed together.” He's not upset thinking about these things, but if Arcade believed in ghosts, the topic is similar to seeing one.  
  
“You sure you don't want to get closer?” This time when prompted, he looks at Six. He could go on about how putting his feet in cold radiated ocean water isn't going to bring him any closure, nor does he want to feel connected to a place that committed severe atrocities. Maybe if he were one of the remnants or his mother, he would at least see it in a obscured sentimental light, but he can't.  
  
“Luckily I don't have misplaced attachment for this particular Enclave military base.” The unsaid and easily assumed military base Arcade is talking about should be apparent enough so he doesn't mention it by name. “For the better, probably.”  
  
“It's not misplaced if it means something.” Did he fish for that reassurance from Six? He doesn't know but doesn't think so. Yet it's still nice to hear instead of being criticized (he does that enough to himself). “You called it home once. Most people don't even know what home feels like.”  
  
“Do you?” He'll save that introspection for later (hopefully not at three in the morning when he should sleep) so he redirects the question.  
  
“I do.” Six's answer surprises him as most couriers are known for traveling around, never settling down until they can no longer walk. Or maybe after what happened two years ago, New Vegas, the Mojave, or the Big Empty is one of his homes, maybe all three in different ways.  
  
Arcade could continue the conversation, but he feels leaving it here is a safe point. He's gotten to talk about what's been haunting his thoughts without revealing every embarrassing detail and too much personal information.  
  
It's only a few minutes after they get back on the road again that he falls asleep, no longer looking out into the ocean for a glimpse of what he knows is rusted wreckage deep in some underwater crevice. Maybe he's made peace with the part of himself by going out there and talking with Six about the oil rig even if he didn't initially want to discuss it.

Arcade hasn't slept this much in... he can't even remember. He hasn't had the opportunity to sleep this much since before med school. He's probably sleeping so much due to stress and oversleeping too much in the first place; the human body is strange like that. Perhaps it is better to sleep than attempt to make small talk with Six for the entire trip. The most embarrassing thing he could do is snore a little, mutter a few words, and possibly drool while he sleeps. Now trying to keep a conversation going for hours on end would only lead to disaster.  
  
The sky is orange, and he hopes it's not a sunrise he's witnessing but instead a sunset. The car is pulled off at the ruins of a gas station, and Six and ED-E aren't in the car with him. He can see them, though, Six sitting on the hood of the car with a floating ED-E next to him.  
  
He exits the Highwayman, walking up behind him. Before he gets to say anything, ED-E greets him with a happy collective of beeps. Arcade isn't sure if it's his footsteps or the greeting that tips Six off that Arcade is awake, but either way, he turns to look at Arcade.  
  
“Hungry?” Being asked that makes Arcade remember he hasn't eaten much of anything the entire day. “Have some bread and dried meat.” He's offered the food in a brown bag, recognizing it from something they picked up in the Boneyard. He takes it, looking into the bag to see if the contents matched what Six described before blindly shoving food into his mouth.  
  
Six scoots over a little, patting a spot on the hood of the car where apparently he should sit. “I wanted to hunt something, but nothing's around here for miles.” Arcade starts eating, listening to him. “Not sure if it's NCR keeping things away or if it's some tech.”  
  
Arcade asks himself why Six would list those things, but then he remembers why. He almost chokes on a bread roll as he does so (which is utterly mortifying).  
  
“The food isn't going anywhere.” Six laughs as Arcade is getting over his coughing fit. “Have some water, and don't worry, that's not going anywhere.” Arcade takes the water, and since he can't say what he wants to properly, a glare will have to do for now.  
  
When he's had enough water and he stops coughing, he clears his throat.“How close are we?” The question sets the tone of the conversation in seconds to something much more somber and far less casual.  
  
“Not far. The forest's hiding our location from the NCR camp stationed there, and the lack of soldiers and nightfall will make it easier.” Arcade isn't surprised there's an NCR presence here, acting as a reminder of what happened here decades ago.  
  
“So we're just going to go charge into an NCR camp?” He's actually surprised they haven't killed more people so far on this trip. He's used to Six tripping over a number of dead bodies by breakfast, even if those were mostly raiders and legionaries.  
  
“No,” that a relief at least. “We can either use some stealth tech or pick off the forward guards and anyone else we happen to run into.”  
  
“I haven't improved my stealth skills if you're hoping for that advantage.” Power armor doesn't require it.  
  
“I got some suits for us, Big Empty tech.” Arcade assumes it must be more advanced than what most of these soldiers have ever encountered, but then he starts to think about it longer.  
  
“You planned this all out?” When did Six have the time for this? When did Six plan things outside 'not kill' and 'kill'? Not that it's a matter of intelligence, but a very Mojave approach to things. Still, Arcade can't shake a suspicious feeling about this all. He can't help but think the Brotherhood is involved in this all, a suspicion he almost did drop after his conversation with ED-E.  
  
“I have blue prints and recon info of the place. Old, but enough to work off of.”  
  
“Does the Brotherhood know you're here?” His hunger dissipates as he feels his nerves and adrenaline start to kick in, like he's in a primal fight or flight situation.  
  
“Yeah. McNamara gave me the information.”Six seems so nonchalant as he confirms the Brotherhood knows about him coming here. “He encouraged me to come here.”

“ _Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes._ ” Has Arcade blinded himself from seeing obvious signs this is all some Brotherhood side mission? Or maybe it's the main mission, and Six is really reckless and or desperate enough to use an excuse of family to convince him to join up with him.  
  
“You're angry.” He can't believe the utter confusion in Six's voice, so much so Arcade's can't help but shake his head.  
  
“Pointing out the obvious, aren't you?” Arcade's combative response takes the conversation in a different direction.“I was hoping coming here had nothing to do with the Brotherhood, but apparently, I was foolish and deluding myself.” Arcade's already starting to think of all the possible reasons why the Brotherhood would scout this area again, but then he remembers the conversation he shared with Six about the Enclave while they were in the Boneyard.  
  
“They, no, McNamara helped me, but it's...” It's apparent Six is hiding something, and usually, he's far better at it than he is at the moment. “Personal.” The word is whispered by Six like it's something he's ashamed of, maybe originating from guilt. “I'll tell you why later. Just not now.” It seems Six doesn't rise to the bait and argue back.  
  
If Arcade were to look at this logically, detaching his bias and the emotional context, the logical decision would be to doubt everything and demand he just says why.  
  
Yet logic can't be forced upon this situation so haphazardly and blindly; there are too many questions and too much gray area for him to do so. Arcade is not even factoring his... feelings, whatever they are, into it all.  
  
“... fine.” Not that Arcade has a wide array of options. “I trust you, but I'm not fond of having my trust in you tested in such a way.” Blindly. Maybe if it were two years ago, when the two of them were in the remnants bunker, he would have almost done anything for him.  
  
“You trusted me enough to drag you into Ceaser's fort.” And he stills remembers that quite vividly. “And to help kick start an independent New Vegas.” Which accumulated to Six joining the Brotherhood, turning his back on friends he made in the NCR, and becoming what he is today.  
  
“I know.” It's a defeated reply, a delayed acknowledgment their relationship has changed and isn't what it is two years ago.  
  
They didn't fight this much in the past, not like this anyway. Minor squabbling and Arcade not so subtly suggesting things is nothing like the arguments they've found themselves in. They never even argued about Six joining the Brotherhood, but at the time that happened, Six had no idea about Arcade's enclave roots.  
  
Six doesn't frown and nod, but instead, he looks more determined more than anything. “Then let's go to Camp Navarro.”  
  
In that moment, the word Navarro loses its strange power over him. He's not sure why just like with the incident with the oil rig. Isn't this whole thing supposed to be some personal journey and or quest for Six? Yet it's developing into some self-finding, spiritual journey for himself.  
  
Once again he finds a part of himself along the way of Six's journey.

Sneaking into the perimeter of Navarro is a lot easier than he thought it would be, and it's like everything Six said would be. It's a shell of a camp, used merely as a memento than an actual military base. It seems like it's a decorative figurehead, something that annoys Arcade as he knows it's merely NCR posturing. Now that the Legion has usurped the position of biggest thread to the Republic's territory, the propaganda has shifted elsewhere.  
  
The stealth suit Six gives him works quite well so far, and he swears he hears the suit Six wears say something or make a sound at the very least. ED-E is even given some stealth-boy like device, seeming familiar enough with it that Six doesn't give the eyebot any directions.  
  
Once Six snipes off the forward guards, it's a casual stroll into the camp besides a little gate and a sign warning them this is a restricted area.  
  
“I was here before I lost my memory.” Arcade doesn't expect to hear that confession from Six, even if he mentioned earlier that coming to Navarro has personal implications.  
  
“Are you hoping it sparks a memory?” Arcade fully knows that's medically not very likely, but Six probably doesn't know that.  
  
Six shakes his head, a no, but doesn't say anything.  
  
They continue walking into the camp, now inside the actual old grounds of Camp Navarro itself. It may be dark, but that's not why it feels eerie to him. It's like walking on a graveyard – no, it is a graveyard. Many people died here, and those lucky enough were able to flee. This was the last bastion of the Enclave near the oil rig, but it didn't take long for it to fall.  
  
His thoughts go to the remnants, Daisy, his mother, his father, what they would say if they saw Navarro like this; it's a collection of tents and a few NCR office buildings built around the ruins of Enclave infrastructure and buildings. It reminds him of what happens to the conquered, of what the original Romans did to the Etruscans.  
  
This doesn't feel like home, at least, he thought he knew what home felt like, the difference between a house and a home.  
  
He looks at ED-E, seeing if coming to Navarro does anything to robot. For all they know, something inside ED-E programming would suddenly be triggered and they'd be turned to ash. He still finds it strange that those who settled in Adams Air force Base would even think Navarro was still around of all places. How much did they know? Was it a last ditch effort before they were crushed?  
  
It's hard to call himself Enclave when he's standing here. He's not an Enclave soldier, but instead a remnant, a wisp of the side of the Enclave most people never saw. Their story is tied into his background, and he's made peace with that.  
  
At least he thought.  
  
Somewhere in the middle of his internal monologue, he stopped walking. Six is a good couple of yards away from him, ED-E hovering his shoulder as they're inspecting some sort of garage like building.  
  
He walks closer to it, now clearly remembering what this building is. This is the main garage where they repaired vertibirds. He remembers running inside, hiding in one of the vertibirds so he could read a book his mother gave him by himself. He remembers a soldier finding him, taking him back to Daisy. Instead of a scolding, he was told a white lie about him possibly one day being a pilot if that's what he wanted.  
  
Did they know back then that the Enclave's dismantlement and crushing defeat was inevitable? But how could they explain that to a young child that his family, their friends, and their leaders were the 'bad guys', not the 'good guys'?  
  
Did his father ever think his son would come back here, decades later, to stand in rebuilt ruins of Navarro? Did his mother know he would come back to search for answers to questions he can't even articulate properly? Did Daisy really believe he could be a pilot like her? A soldier? Maybe even a scientist?  
  
When they left here, his mother told him to never say Navarro, to mention this place to anyone besides the remnants and her.  
  
_Dear old friends, remember Navarro but never speak of it._  
  
If it isn't for ED-E beeping, urging him to keep moving, he probably could keep standing here until sunrise, lost within his thoughts.

“This is the garage,” he catches up to Six with ED-E following right next to him. “I remember them repairing vertibirds here.” Six nods, like he knows this already, but Arcade keeps talking. “I would sneak off into here when my mother was busy. Maybe I wanted more attention from her, but Daisy was the one to only find me.”  
  
The garage doesn't have vertibirds like he remembers, it actually doesn't have much of anything. It looks like things have been moved out, cleaned and stripped of everything he can half recall.  
  
“They stripped this place, took everything they could. It pissed off the Brotherhood.” Arcade can believe that knowing fully well the NCR power armor are old standard issue Enclave power armor – refurbished and branded as something new. “Then they started hiring couriers to move resources out east.”  
  
“Like you?” It's not an illogical assumption, and Six did say he was here before.  
  
“Yeah, we brought things through the Divide.” As Arcade tries to recall where he's heard that place before, Six is trying to get some lever to work.  
  
Arcade is going to ask for more clarification, but before he gets to, Six pounds on a control module next to the lever.  
  
“Down here.” Six tells him, Arcade trying to recall where this lift went. There were a lot of secret offices and chambers in Navarro, maybe some the NCR haven't found and stripped apart.  
  
It's strange how Six is leading him around this place, a place he was familiar enough with when he was young. He was too young to currently recall everything well or much at all, but that is probably for the better. Still, he has an attachment to this place and thought of it as his home.  
  
As they go down the lift, Arcade tries not to think about it suddenly not working anymore, them stuck halfway down-  
  
Thankfully they reach the underground part of the base without any problems.  
  
It's much darker down here, smelling of dust and metal. He remembers the smell of harsh metal like this and being scolded by soldiers to go back to his mother. He can't remember exactly why, the memories too old and fuzzy.  
  
“Can you find the power switch, ED-E? Kick start the generator if you find it, too.” Six asks, and it's a few beeps later that it's just the two of them alone.  
  
“This must be one of research laboratories,” Arcade mutters to himself, but Six overhears him.  
  
“Dr. Schreber's lab. If there's anything ED-E might pick up on, it'd be here.” Arcade remembers that name rather well from Doctor Henry. The man was the epitome of an evil genius scientist, one who didn't care about the sanctity of life or any sort of moral code when it came to science and medicine. “Most of it's probably been ransacked by the NCR, but there are a few hidden rooms around here.”  
  
Six's fists pound against the metal wall, probably trying to hear a difference in sound. Arcade stays close to him, maybe too close as he bumps into him a few times. He mutters an apology, but the loud banging makes it almost impossible to hear.  
  
Being in such close proximity to him reminds Arcade of something. While they've been physically close this entire time, and he's not just talking about sex, the emotional distance between them seems to have widen greatly. He remembers Six being much more rambunctious and a wild card; it seemed like every turn they took Arcade found himself getting himself in extremely questionable and dangerous situations with him. Yet all of this far has been much more calculated, well thought out, maybe even cold and rigid.  
  
Has Six changed that much? He's even starting to miss the horrible excuses and lies Six pulled out of Tartarus to explain his rationale. They talked more back then, didn't they? Six laughed and smiled more, even when it seemed like everything was about to collapse on itself. Six was still mysterious but in a blank slate sort of way. Now he's mysterious because he's keeping secrets or alludes to these secrets.  
  
Did he do this to Six? He proposed the idea of an independent New Vegas when Six seemed fine with handing the platinum chip to House or helping annex the Strip to the NCR. Maybe the weight of responsibility changed him, that an amnesiac now has duties, obligations, and memories that bind and keep him grounded.  
  
He wants to blame the Brotherhood, but that lie will only go so far.

The lights turn on, making things much easier to see. ED-E must have found a way to activate the lights and power things back up. There isn't even too much noise, which means hopefully no surprise visits from half awake NCR grunts.  
  
The metal walls have some damage to them, but they're rather well preserved considering it's been about forty years and the NCR picking this place apart.  
  
Arcade turns his head towards Six hitting his fist against the wall, hearing a very distinctive sound. “I'm guessing this is where now try to figure out how to get through at least a few inches of solid steel.”  
  
The old Six would have taken it as a challenge and think a few sticks of dynamite would do the trick. Yet this isn't the old Six, this one shakes his head and laughs. “I do miss being reckless with explosives and Cass grabbing the dynamite out of my hand.” A glimpse of that old Six is there, but then it fades away. “No, there's probably a trick switch. Do you remember anything like that?”  
  
“I was four years old and not a part of the research staff. Most people weren't even allowed down here.” Six doesn't look too disappointed, but Arcade is frustrated he can't do much else. This place already felt foreign, and coming down here, it feels more like a strange place he's never been to before. The only things that are even slightly familiar are the metal walls and the smell.  
  
Then he remembers something from the remnants bunker. “This wall was probably added after the oil rig sank. Some scientists feared what outsiders would find if this place was ever ransacked and torn apart. Some weren't proud of Dr. Schreber's work or were fearful of the repercussions and wanted to seal it off. ”  
  
Now it's Arcade leading Six, looking for a particular console. “Some consoles had double settings depending on who accessed them.” The metal halls and empty rooms seem endless, but eventually there seems to be an old console after walking five minutes in what feels like circles. “Some could only be accessed by high-level Enclave robots, ones only very few had access to.”  
  
Looking at ED-E probably gives away his theory. “Did I ever tell you you're my favorite eyebot? What about Enclave eyebot? Just so you know, it's totally not because there's a console I need you to unlock so we can break into a secret laboratory where we'll find who knows what.”  
  
Six has been on edge since entering Navarro, even guarded, but that comment by Arcade brings out a genuine smile and laughter. “Don't tell me you're going to fall for that, Eddie.” Arcade notices Six's tone is back to being much more friendlier towards the eyebot rather than instructional. “You really are, aren't you? We need at least one person who can stand up to him here.”  
  
Arcade doesn't get the chance to talk things out loud, theorizing what ED-E should do in order to properly open the console. It seems ED-E already knows what to do, a single electronic spark sending a signal to the console.  
  
“We saw these in the Divide. Eddie's designed to crack them, even high-security level ones. He was even able to-” It goes dark, Six not finishing what he's saying.  
  
“If this place self-destructs, I want your eyebot to know it is my favorite eyebot and enclave robot only because it's the only one to I know.”  
  
“See, what did I tell you, Eddie? Utter betrayal. He tells you what you want to hear and you do it.” He knows Six is joking, but it still resonates with his earlier thoughts. “You didn't even hold out long enough for him to use Latin, something like, 'let the robot do it!', but only in Latin.”  
  
“ _Non omnia possumus omnes._ ” Arcade sighs, louder to make a point he knows he's being made fun of. “You should be concerned about the lack of power and light.”  
  
“ _Fiat lux!_ ” Six shouts, and as Arcade predicts, the lights do not turn on. “I guess the Enclave didn't use Latin, did they? Damn, it's just you and the Legion.”  
  
“They used a little but-” Then the lights turn on, a loud cracking sound echoes throughout the underground area.  
  
“Or maybe they did.” ED-E's victory beep follows Six smirking and looking oh so cheeky and proud of himself.  
  
Six runs off, excited like he's got something up his sleeve. Arcade follows him, walking slowly.  
  
This is the Six he remembers -- he's not as buried or lost as he thought.

Dr. Schreber's lab is filled with half discarded notes and sabotaged equipment. Arcade isn't surprised, and he doesn't want to read any more of the notes anyway (cruel and inhumane experimentation, a specialty of the Enclave).  
  
He's actually a bit disappointed, but Six doesn't look upset or annoyed at their lack of finding anything substantive.  
  
Maybe there is something here if he keeps digging, something that might actually help the Wasteland rather than remind him why the Enclave is so hated.  
  
“I think I'm ready now.” Six's sitting on a desk, looking like he's relaxing of all things. “You want to know why, don't you? Why I came to Navarro.”  
  
Six is a lot smarter and picks up things most wouldn't believe at first glance because of his personality (even more so two years ago). “You deserve to know, it's one of the reasons I joined the Brotherhood.”  
  
“I thought it was for the alliance and peace deal.” That's what Six told everyone, Veronica parroted the same thing back then.  
  
“That too, but...” Six looks around the room, his feet dangling. “Before the platinum chip, I took something the NCR found from Navarro and brought it to the Divide.” Six laughs bitterly, looking at the corner of the room. “Apparently what I delivered sent off dormant missiles, nuking the place like it was October 23, 2077 all over again.” Six gestures an explosion with his hands, even making a sound effect. “I didn't see what happened, but I killed thousands and destroyed an entire city because of something found in this fucking place. Tech like that is never good, even worse in those who don't know what they're doing.”  
  
Arcade isn't sure what to say, let alone know what to do so comfort him. He never expected to hear something like this. “It's not your fault. You wouldn't do something like that if you knew.”  
  
“Maybe. I don't remember the type of person I was.” Six shrugs.  
  
“It wouldn't haunt you if you didn't care about it. Even then, maybe the person you were back then might not have cared, but you do now and that's the most important thing to focus on.”  
  
“Benny might have shot me in the head, but it was Navarro that started me on that path that led me to the platinum chip, to that bastard Benny, to House, to kicking everyone who wanted New Vegas for themselves out of there.” The emotions in Six's voice show he's really taking this personally, far more personally than anything he's seen since they reunited. “Either way, Benny's still a bastard, but I wanted to see this place for myself. I already met up with the courier who got me the platinum chip job.”  
  
“Did you get your revenge on him?” Too, Arcade could have added.  
  
“I destroyed his home, the Divide, so I think he had the right to be pissed and want me killed.” Arcade expects him to be dead, but then Six continues. “We're friends now, though. Stopping another nuclear apocalypse and our painful deaths really brought us together.” At first, hearing that sounds outlandish, but then he remembers what Six is like and how the strangest things seem to happen to him or around him.  
  
“Well, nothing brings people together like mutually assured destruction.” He still feels like he's saying the wrong thing, so an attempt at humor is the only way he thinks he can't make this conversation more awkward.  
  
“Tell that to the old world.” They both smile at that joke, but Six is the one that laughs.  
  
“Hey,” Six calls out to him. “So I spilled my guts, what about you? How's being here treating you?” Ah, that question.  
  
He knows it's going to be brought up, but he still isn't sure how he feels or what to say.  
  
“I'm not really sure, honestly.” It would be easier to lie, maybe even tell a half lie, but maybe he needs to open up about this. “I thought of Navarro as my home, sort of, or I told myself that. I was born here, I thought I felt a connection to this place.” He's so bad at this, and he feels like he's going to ramble a bunch of nonsense that's going to result in a simple 'I don't know' but just twenty times longer. “But being here, I remember a few things, but this isn't the Navarro I know or knew, one of those. I hoped maybe it would bring peace to me, like when I put on my father's power armor two years ago, but it hasn't.”

“And what about you, Eddie, did coming here unlock any more of those logs?” Arcade looks at the eyebot when the question is asked, only hearing a dejected beep.  
  
“Well, guess none of us found what we were hoping for.” Six scoots off the desk, starting to walk out of the lab, but Arcade grabs onto his arm.  
  
“Wait,” he doesn't want to have Six thinking this is a waste of time because it isn't. Arcade never expected coming back here would quell lingering questions and cue a reemergence of an identity crisis, but he's not disappointed somehow. “Coming here wasn't a waste of time.”  
  
“Did you find something in the notes you could use?” Arcade lets go of Six's arm, not much space between them.  
  
“No, nothing material, and not in that way.” He shakes his head. “But coming here...” He's worried he's not going to word this correctly, that no amount of jabbering on will truly express how thankful he really is, even if he isn't jumping for joy or looking outwardly happy. “It's what I needed, more than I thought. Maybe me realizing that I haven't fully dealt with all my inner demons about the Enclave is what I needed. Going here is what I needed. It has me thinking about my connection to the Enclave, and I think I've accepted it's something I'm always going to go back and forth on and that's fine, human.” Certainty of uncertainty sounds clumsy, but it is reassuring somehow. “I won't let it solely define me or drive me, but I'm not going to act I'm not rooted from it. I've learned, done better with tools from the Enclave and the Followers. You've given me opportunities I wouldn't have without you.” He never considered Six helping him being a debt he has to repay, but instead in opportunity where he could do something good as a launching pad. “I'm sorry Navarro didn't give you the answers or solace you were hoping for, but I am glad you asked me to come along. This is very personal for you, just like it's personal for me, and I never would have come here by myself. I know that much.”  
  
After that lofty confession, the silence after it is especially uneasy. Arcade can't get a good reading on him, and he's expecting an 'Arcade shut up' even if that's something not aligned with Six's usual nature.  
  
“You should give yourself more credit. If it weren't for you, House or the Republic would be in charge of the New Vegas and the Strip.” Six isn't exactly the ruler of these places, but he holds the most power out of everyone. “I didn't want the responsibility, I just wanted revenge back then.”  
  
This is where his guilt comes in. “And now? Are you...” He has to be careful with his word choice. “Not pleased with the outcome? Possibly regret it?” Arcade himself is disappointed in some ways, but if there's one thing old Enclave propaganda got right, the old world mentality of freedom still rings true to him.  
  
“No,” it's a firm disagreement. “No I, don't regret it. It's tough out there, and I wish it could've been easier, but things are getting better, people are shaping their world. It's better that way, I think. They have their new start, so let's see what they do with it. Hopefully not dig up things from pre-war times and make power grabs.”  
  
The explanation fits Six well, giving someone a new start and a blank slate even if the journey is a difficult one; it models much Six's journey from an amnesiac to one of the most powerful and well-resourced men on this side of the continent.  
  
“I doubt you need my reassurance on the matter, but I still think you did the right thing.”  
  
“Yeah?” Six pushes his body against him, but Arcade doesn't step back.  
  
“Do you really need me to say it again?” Arcade can tell he's being coy with him, but he'll give him some satisfaction since it's been a climatic day. “I can only make a limited amount of embarrassing confessions at a time.”  
  
“I think I can make you say one more. ” Six kisses him, wrapping his arms Arcade's body.

One kiss leads to another, their stealth suits being unzipped and removed, and hands and mouths exploring exposed flesh. His mind races with distracting thoughts, but they disappear far more quickly than they normally do.  
  
He can still smell that harsh metal haze. The smell lingers in the air, but then he smells Six, and the reminder this is Dr. Schreber's lab, that they're both in what remains of old Navarro, isn't nearly as troubling as it should be to him.  
  
His glasses fall off somewhere on the ground when Six pushes him against one of the cold metal walls. He wonders how far this is going to go (the physical intimacy and the emotional intimacy), and Six seems like he's come prepared like he half expected and or planned this.  
  
Arcade helps him get the condom on, and if he weren't in such on an emotional high and running on too much adrenaline, , he would suggest a more comfortable position for the both of them. At least the foreplay and prep isn't rushed, maybe it's even too slow as Six is teasing him, laughing into his neck and whispering broken sentences before kissing that area.  
  
Arcade is taller than him, but Six is strong enough to support his weight. And if not, that will be one embarrassing story to think back on. It's one of those stories he can get Six to laugh about, telling the old gang when he's drunk on Cass' moonshine.  
  
That's if they ever get back together, and Arcade hopes one day it'll happen even if it's rather idealistic. Yet Six brought them all together in the first place, which defies all odds if one were to look at it from a practical point of view.  
  
A few minutes after Six starts thrusting inside him, starting to get a rhythm going, he feels him nibbling on his right earlobe. Six whispers into his ear, asking Arcade if he loves him. It's not said once but repeatedly, yet Arcade doesn't reply.  
  
People can say outlandish things during sex, one's brain is basically all over the map. It's unfair Six is asking him, it's a low blow.  
  
Arcade confesses one more embarrassing thing this night, that he does love him.

Sitting against a cold metal wall on the cold floor next to Six is hardly romantic, but it's peaceful and soothing. He expects his back is going to start acting up, and he doesn't want to feel older than he is. He can already feel some patches of his back stinging, irritated from friction. Next time they have sex, he'll insist on a bed. He has to at least insist so he can tell himself he tried to be responsible.  
  
The two of them haven't said much of anything besides a few words after sex. The silence that would usually worry him and make him anxious is having the opposite effect. For just half an hour or so, maybe less, this place doesn't make him think of the birthplace he feels obligated to associate himself with.  
  
Arcade looks at Six, who has bothered to put any armor back on let alone the stealth suit. Instead, his stealth suit is draped over his lap, barely covering a vital area. Six looks like he wants a cigarette, at least Arcade assumes that. Six always has a cigarette after sex, but he's probably not letting himself smoke due to possibly setting or tripping an alarm.  
  
“We can spend the night here or sleep in the car.” Six presents these two options like both are good ideas. “It'll be a pain to get out of here if we spend the night, and it's cold.” Cold like Mojave nights, but the cold isn't a kind Six is used to, it's metal and sterile. “Car might attract some attention, might be more uncomfortable for me than you.”  
  
“What's the most convenient?” Arcade wouldn't mind either, at least with the information he's been presented with. “Are we going straight to Modoc from here?” He's trying to recall looking at a map earlier, but he doesn't remember the exact distance from Navarro to Modoc. He does know Navarro is isolated on purpose, on the coast for easier access to the oil rig.  
  
“Convenience doesn't matter,” that confuses Arcade, but Six explains. “If you want to spend more time here before we go off, it's better to stay the night in the long run.”  
  
Arcade is slightly taken aback by Six's approach to this, how he's thinking of the future rather than the short term like he's used to. Maybe it comes from losing his memories, the struggle of conceptualizing the future when there's no past to fallback on. He used to pity Six for not having a past to remember, but then other times wished he could forget certain memories. Yet when he finally got to know Six, he realized how misplaced and unneeded his pity was. He still feels foolish for even briefly clinging to the concept of forgetting some bad memories would make things better, that he could be happier – it's naïve.  
  
When it came to New Vegas, Six asked him and his other companions for advice on something long term back then. Arcade was more than willing to give advice, not being subtle in how he thought things would be much better. The others, well, they made it clear they'd stick with Six no matter what. Even when killing Caesar, Six didn't initially think of the long term ramification and benefits (“Boone wanted him dead, and so he's dead.”), not that Six was ambivalent or anything near neutral towards the Legion.  
  
“It's fine,” Arcade loves vague answers when he's using them. “Whatever is left here for me, maybe it should stay here.”  
  
“Even if it's a powerful weapon or a set of power armor?” Six's joke stops the conversation from becoming too serious, something Arcade is relieved about.  
  
“Do you really think we could sneak that out of here? And I don't know, if the NCR didn't touch it, maybe they had a good reason to.”  
  
Six shakes his head. “More like they couldn't figure out how not because they didn't want to or were cautious.”  
  
“That's very Brotherhood of Steel of you.” Arcade teases him back, Six laughing at him.  
  
“I had to make up losing Brotherhood points for saying we should steal some dangerous tech, so I felt a little obligated to say something a codex fiend would say.”  
  
“So how many points do you have? Do you get kicked out of the club if you stay in the negative too long?” They both know there isn't such a thing, but he likes the fact Six can go along and add onto his critique and mocking of the Brotherhood to some extent if framed in a humorous fashion.

“I think I'm deep in the negatives, and plenty of people have wanted to kick me out, but none of them are the Elder.” Six may be smiling, but Arcade knows those words are heavy in meaning.  
  
He knows Six has a special position among the Brotherhood, limiting contact with them since apparently he spends most of his time in the Big Empty. He's admitted to letting some of the tech he's found there help the Strip out. That's not very Brotherhood like, and he wonders if there's some sort of Brotherhood disciplinary sect that puts their members back in line. The Enclave had one, he's sure of it, all insular groups, especially fascist or military organizations, have them. At least that's what he read in some banned pre-war book, a sixteenth birthday present from his mother.  
  
“So do they, uh...” He should have talked himself out of asking, but it's too late, as he's already started forming the question. It's not an easy thing to ask about reeducation or death threats.“They haven't tried to change your mind about helping New Vegas or the Mojave, have they?” Arcade wants to smack himself for how poorly he phrased the that question. Good going, Gannon.  
  
“All the time. Sometimes with guns, sometimes with over exaggerated hand gestures. Other times those hand gestures look like guns.” Six seems to be taking threats against his life in good spirits, something that hasn't changed since Arcade has met him. “But I have a friend that reminds the top guys what I've done, and the Elder can usually talk down anyone in the bunker who gets too worked up. If not, I bring out my guns and over exaggerated hand gestures.” Arcade notices how Six looks so confident telling him this, even cocky as he's smirking, most likely recalling an incident. “That reminds me – we need to get something for Christine in New Reno. Or maybe it's for Veronica, should probably get them both-”  
  
“You're not taking this very seriously.” He interrupts, his voice a startling change from how easy going Six is.  
  
“Should I?” The way Six says those two words are powerful. It's not a cocky recklessness, but one that is calm, cool, and collected. It speaks of authority, no room for doubt and speculation. It convinces Arcade just enough that he shouldn't worry about the Brotherhood launching a surprise attack against the both of them for at least a few months. “Don't worry about it. My Brotherhood stuff isn't going to get in the way of anything unless we find a nuke in New Reno. I hope we don't because Veronica doesn't want to do anymore of my paper work until I get her a new dress.” It's so quick how Six's tone changes, from that almost chilling authority to an amicable response.  
  
“So we're off to New Reno next?” Arcade hasn't been there in a long time, and his brief stop over didn't leave the best impression. “You must be a little homesick for the Strip if you want to stop there.” Crime families, debauchery, and free of the grasp of the Republic.  
  
“Maybe,” the response is simple, Arcade noticing how Six's lips curve up as he says it. “A lot of memories there.”  
  
Arcade is going to ask if they are good memories, but he doesn't get the chance, as Six kisses him. This kiss isn't like their other ones, kisses used as a transition to sex or foreplay. Arcade might be interpreting it wrong, but maybe it's Six's way of saying there are good memories of Arcade there, of the both of them.  
  
_Give me what you alone can give. A kiss to build a dream on._  
  
Arcade ends the kiss, turning his head to hear where that sound of music is coming from, only to see an eyebot waiting patiently in the doorway.  
  
“Did you find anything good, Eddie?” A disappointed beep following the robot actually looking sad. “Don't worry about it. It all worked out in the end.” Arcade isn't sure what Six means, but he's not going to interject just yet, especially since ED-E starts beeping hastily. “Right, right, New Reno and getting out of here. Sorry if you had to take out any soldiers on your own.”  
  
Arcade still doesn't know how Six and ED-E communicate so well, but he knows for certain that eyebot knows more about what's going on that he previously thought.

Six gives him a peck on the cheek before he starts getting dressed. The gesture is probably an after thought, but Arcade knows now their relationship, how Six thinks of him, has changed. They have crossed the line of friends with benefits or sex merely out of convenience and into a budding relationship.  
  
Years ago if someone told him he would be dating one of the most powerful men on the west coast, he'd insist they take at least three packs of Fixer and get plenty of bed rest and purified water if possible. If the same person told him it'd be the person who liberated New Vegas from Robert House, he'd tell them to seek out Doctor Usanagi and they should stay at least five hundred feet away from him from now on.  
  
Yet here he is, probably making googly eyes, as Cass would point out, at their favorite glorified mailman.  
  
He should be too old for this.  
  
As they sneak out of Navarro, Arcade keeps looking back once in a while, something that will surely get them caught. Yet he can't help it as he knows this probably the last time he'll see this place. Six asks him if he wants to stay longer, but he reassures him there's nothing left for him in Navarro.  
  
If his life were more like a holotape, he would have gotten more closure, that coming here would close a chapter in his life. Yet it's opened one and reminded him of half read passages he's pretended to read when he barely skimmed them.  
  
Even so, it's good he got the chance to come here. It was good for ED-E possibly, and Six might not admit it, but it's good he came here too. He still can't believe the story about the Divide and what happened, but it's not because he doubts Six, but it's a weight he's carried around. He can see why Six could buy into the Brotherhood codex and ideology after going through something like that, witnessing how some fragment of the old world can so easily destroy something just starting grow in the new one.  
  
The sun will rise in a couple of hours on Navarro, and three of them will be gone. He's not sure how to say goodbye to this place, but one last look will have to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes = Beware of Greeks bearing gifts, Trojan war reference  
> Non omnia possumus omnes = We can't all do everything  
> Fiat lux = Let there be light


	4. New Reno

After five or so failed attempts to sleep, they're back on the road and off to New Reno. Arcade slept most of the day, but he knows Six has been awake for an entire day by now. Yet a lack of sleep never stopped Six, but he is driving and Arcade's own safety compels him to offer to drive and insist they pull off to the side of road to get some sleep.  
  
Six tells him the sooner they get to New Reno, the sooner they can sleep in a normal bed and take a shower. He knows that'll win Arcade over, the smell of sex keeps reminding him what they did in Dr. Schreber's old secret lab. He should feel some shame, he kind of does, but not nearly as much as he expects.  
  
He's never looked so forward to going to New Reno and he'll never feel this way again.  
  
The sun is rising when they get to New Reno, driving under its famous sign that looks like it's been repaired and desecrated countless of times. New Reno is like a mixture of New Vegas and the Boneyard all wrapped up in one chaotic and thrilling package. He'll probably stick out here, not that he blends in incredibly well in other places, but with the Followers, it was easier to blend in. Now he's here, entering the city on a Highwayman half the population would try to steal if they could. For all he knows, there's already a bounty on them.  
  
Six doesn't look bothered, but he does yawn a little.  
  
Six parks the car in some alley off Virgin Street near a casino, yawning again as he gets out of the car. Arcade grabs some of their stuff, feeling like this isn't a good idea. Yet Six assures him it'll be fine and no one is going to steal their car (Arcade notices the 'their' instead of 'my' or 'the').  
  
Even early in the morning, the casino, the Desperado, is just starting to wind down. As Arcade thought, they're getting plenty of looks, most likely from con men or someone from one of the New Reno families. Yet Arcade notices it's people mostly looking at Six, not him. They seem to give Six extra space, even respect, as they hide behind his larger than life persona.  
  
They get a room, one of the more lavish suites for the price of one of the lower end ones. Arcade is really starting to suspect something is up, but once again, Six just seems to go with this behavior.  
  
“You do know people in New Reno aren't this nice usually, right?” He sets down a bag of their guns, looking where the shower could be as he attempts to talk to Six. “Or have you been here before? Do they know you?”  
  
“Apparently I've been here before, but I don't remember any of it.” That makes Arcade worry more. “Let's clean up and get some sleep and deal with whatever comes later.”  
  
“I have a feeling it might deal with killing people and organized crime.” It's a hunch Arcade's had for a while now.

  
“So an old specialty of ours? Good. I thought it'd be something we wouldn't know how to do.” Arcade can only sigh. “I think Veronica wants a hat, I can't pick out hats. Christine deserves one, too.” The change of subject is abrupt, Six focusing more on that than Arcade's worries.  
  
“You should worry more about people wanting to kill us than a hat for Veronica.” These sort of conversations bring him back to the past. “And she would love anything you gave her, unless it was truly ugly, then sadly friendship and gratitude can only do so much.”  
  
“Can you help me pick out a hat?” Arcade's caught off guard by that request, his facial expression clearly showing his surprise.  
  
Yet eventually he gains some composure back as he remembers something. “Only if you let me shower first and let me pick which side of the bed I get to sleep on.” He's not going to waste an opportunity like this.  
  
“Deal,” Arcade hears from across the room. “I was going to let you shower first anyway.”  
  
“But not pick which side of the bed I wanted.” He might be gloating a little too much for such a small victory, but he'll blame how hectic things have been. “Which is very much worth it, thank you very much.”  
  
After a nice shower and wearing clothing that isn't armor or some pre-war stealth suit, Arcade returns to the bedroom part of the suite to see Six out cold, sleeping on the side of the bed he wanted (the right side). He can't be that mad at him, knowing he's probably very worn out and deserves to sleep at least a good eight to ten hours if possible.

Arcade isn't tired, though, and he rather not sit around in the suite all day until Six gets up. He could look around Virgin Street and find something nice to buy Daisy or the other Remnants. He could even pick up something for Six or Six's mother when they finally meet her. They just started dating and they're already at the 'meet the parents' stage. He wants to make a good impression at least, leaving out his association to a fascist military dictatorship aside.  
  
He's going to leave, but before he does, ED-E follows him like the robot wants to tag along. “I'm guessing you don't want to sit-err, float around until Six wakes up, do you?” That beep of confirmation is enough for him to accept the fact he'll have an eyebot following him around New Reno.  
  
Arcade and ED-E walk around Virgin Street, not seeing a good place to pick up supplies or any souvenirs just yet, but he picked up some tourist information that might help. Walking around and seeing this part of New Reno isn't so bad, and he only had to deal with two attempted muggings and one kid trying to make off with his plasma defender. ED-E might have gotten a little too friendly with a few women as they passed the brothel, but nothing unexpected and not manageable has happened.  
  
He's going to head back to the suite, but before that, he goes to check up on the car. He still has a bad feeling about the Highwayman being parked near such a major street. Six has built in security, doesn't he? No one stole it in the Boneyard, and that's saying something.  
  
An hour later, and he's very sure this is where the Highwayman is parked, he realizes his gut feeling was spot on.  
  
“So, which one of is going to break it to Six that we not only lost the car but enough advanced weapons and armor that he might have to put his big Brotherhood of Steel pants on?” Arcade looks at ED-E who looks as dejected as a robot can be. “New Reno, you don't change, do you?”

 

It's hard for Arcade not to think how Six is going to react to the news the Highwayman is missing and all their stuff along with it is gone. He can't help but blame himself to a degree, knowing New Reno's reputation. Can Six declare some state of Brotherhood of Steel emergency? Not that Arcade wants to see or have that happen, but losing all those weapons and armor…  
  
Especially his own power armor, the one he inherited from his father. He should be focusing on the entire picture, but what if he never gets that armor back? There's only one other person that deserves that armor, and it isn't some New Reno criminal or thug.  
  
Either way, it seems they'll have to do some investigating and most likely some killing. Not that he particularly wants to, but he might want a little revenge on the bastard who took their stuff.  
  
He knocks on the suite's door, but there isn't a response. In fact, the door starts to open, clearly unlocked. That's a worrying sign, an indicator of a possible break in or intruder. He puts a hand on his plasma defender, briefly looking at ED-E who looks just as prepared to defend itself.  
  
Arcade enters the suite, checking the rooms to make sure they're clear. He finally hits the bedroom, hearing music and faint snoring.  
  
He uses the tip of his plasma defender to open the door, enough that he can see Six is out cold, sleeping like nothing happened. He can't help sigh, slightly annoyed at himself but relieved it was him being overly cautious rather than correct.  
  
He puts his gun away, walking to the bed to sit on its edge. He watches Six for a little while, hoping he can delay the bad news. Six looks relaxed, drooling onto the pillow just a little. There's always a chance Six is faking still being asleep and is watching him -- Arcade wouldn't put it past him.  
  
Could he wake up to this every morning? Minus their stuff and car being stolen. Lingering thoughts on house breaking a former courier, grounding one and settling down… or maybe it's Arcade who doesn't know how to settle down after years of moving around and avoiding his familial ties. In those two years, he's moved around the Mojave to help, never settling too long in one place since everywhere he went needed help.  
  
"Wake up, Six." Arcade shakes him, perhaps much more gently than the situation requires. "I need to tell you something that requires you being awake and me getting to the point quickly."  
  
One eye opens, the only one that's visible because half of his face is buried into an off colored pillow. The words are in Arcade's head, that he's going to admit about the stolen Highwayman and their stuff. No jokes, no extra words that would diffuse things. He needs to be blunt, like Boone blunt.  
  
"Someone stole the Highwayman, and I know it's stolen. I went to check up on it, knowing how New Reno is. And no, I know it was the right spot, I double and triple checked. You can ask ED-E if you still don't believe me." Arcade knows he's probably talking quicker than he feels he is, and a pang of nervousness is starting to take control of his thoughts. "Then there's stuff in the car, and the last thing these crime families need is power armor and a cache of military grade plasma and laser weapons. That sniper rifle you've been using, that was in the car. So was-"  
  
"Your power armor," Six sits up, looking much more focused. Arcade thinks it's because he's putting on his Brotherhood of Steel mindset, already thinking of clueless civilians taking advantage of these technologies they have no idea about.

"I was going to say all that Big Empty tech, but that, too." Thinking about losing that power armor, the only inheritance he really has from his father cracks a part of him. It must be apparent, not that he's good at hiding anything involving his father because Six gives him a sympathetic look.  
  
"We'll get it back. It's important to you. It was your father's." For a man that can't remember his parents, his father, Arcade believes him. Maybe it's because Six can't remember them, that he's chasing after scraps, that he can understand.  
  
They're both clinging to scraps of their parents, remnants of a past that link them to the present. They both are figuring themselves out through who their parents were. At least Arcade has the advantage as he remembers his mother well at least.  
  
"Am I that obvious?" Arcade whispers the words, slightly ashamed at how obvious.  
  
"I remember." The answer seems strange, not satisfying, but as Six gets ready and geared up, Arcade has time to reflect on the carefully chosen word.  
  
Remember. He remembers the first time he saw Arcade wear the power armor. Six remembers their conversations about his father, how few and brief they were.  
  
"Let's go," Six puts a hand on Arcade's shoulder. "We need to find where they scrap things, maybe a junkyard. Talking to a local mechanic or scrapper should point us in the right direction." Arcade's impressed by the plan, it is far better than the strategies of their earlier travels. "This place is big enough to hide a car, but someone's probably bragging about their recent find."  
  
"Does that mean we're going to a bar?" He still remembers the gossip and stories coming from the Atomic Wrangler, a few of them about Six.  
  
"I was thinking brothel," Arcade is torn between being relieved they don't have to deal with drunkards and pretending to blend in, drinking poor quality moonshine, and now having to find their way around a brothel. He still remembers Joana and how Six helped her, being respectful when most wouldn't be. "You'd be surprised what people say during or after sex." That last line clearly has a double meaning, pointing out he most likely recalls Arcade's confession to him in Dr. Schreber's secret laboratory.  
  
"Surprised? No. I'm a doctor, remember? I know the chemical reactions that take place, and I'm not disagreeing with you." Yet Arcade wouldn't have thought of it as the tactic is more practical experience and detective work. "There's a brothel not too far from here. It looks… popular." He's glad Six doesn't ask him why he knows that.  
  
The brothel he remembers passing by is the Cat's Paw, and from a number of customers, it really is popular and the best place to spend one's caps (so Six says). Arcade disagrees, but he doesn't want to cause any trouble while Six is talking to the Madam of the place. Apparently, she's been here for a long time, in the process of handing over the establishment to one of her long time employees.  
  
So Arcade sits in the corner of the main room on a couch, away from the other patrons and workers. ED-E hovers nearby him, drawing more attention than he wants. Six's presence stirs up the place, the Madam taking him to a back room to talk to him privately almost right away.  
  
Maybe he should have brought some reading material (one not found here). Hearing some yelling about a possible sexualized Vault 13 reenactment is not something he wants to think about.

 Five or so minutes after he just starts settling in, attempting to shut out the going ons around him, a woman who works at the brothel sits next to him.  
  
She starts a small conversation, probing to see if he's a customer just too shy to initiate anything. Arcade gives short replies, small talk that hopefully won't have him stumbling for a diversion if she asks anything too personal. He tells her he's with the Followers, a doctor, and that robot next to him belongs to a friend, something he restored. He tries to be vague because he's still a pretty bad liar, and he rather not get his own words twisted in a town like this.  
  
He doesn't realize he slips up when he mentions that said friend, saying he's here. She asks him who he is, and Arcade tells her the truth, that she went to the back room with the owner of the brothel. Suddenly she looks fearful like she's the one who slipped up and said something wrong.  
  
Apparently, the Madam and she believe Six is someone known as Mr. Bishop, head of one of the crime families here. Arcade knew something was up but… could Six be this Mr. Bishop?  
  
Before he can ask further, Six comes out of the room looking like he made headway on getting information about the Highwayman. The Madam, Miss Kitty, also looks pleased with herself, smirking as she watches Six walks away.  
  
The worker Arcade was talking to excuses herself, most likely knowing that her boss is watching her and she should get back to work.  
  
"Let's talk outside." Arcade is glad to hear that, not wanting to stay in this atmosphere much longer.  
  
Six fills him on what he knows, that there's a chop shop run by a man named Cody. Cody's quiet, but seems to have a way with anything mechanical or metal. He grew up here, and Missy Kitty has known him since he was a little boy.

Six hasn't brought up anything to do with Mr. Bishop, so he thinks he should. Telling him would be the right idea, wouldn't it? Though he rather not think of Six secretly being some crime boss who has terrorized New Reno only to return. Not that he could see Six taking up that old life, but he wouldn't let it go to waste.  
  
"Did Miss Kitty mention anything about you looking like someone she knows?" Arcade wished he could get a few pointers on how to start this conversation. What if he's wrong about Six possibly being this Mr. Bishop? What if he's not? It might just confuse Six even more.  
  
"At first she thought I was someone else and I went with it.” So it was a mistake, and Arcade is glad it's a case of mistaken identity. “Then she called me out for lying. Said I was too nice to be the person and didn't have the right scars." He looks at the scar on Six's head, remembering how it used to look.  
  
"Was this person a Mr. Bishop?" Once he hears this confirmation, he'll scratch that off his 'totally not going to worry about it' list.  
  
"Yeah. The whole town thinks I'm him, and it's the only way to get our stuff back, so I'm not going to deny it. They own the garage and have been hassling its owner for decades." Pretending to be a head of a crime family isn't the most outrageous things Six has done, but it's not exactly tame or conventional.  
  
"You don't think it's dangerous? Masquerading as a head of a crime family in his own territory? In front of his own men?" Death by New Reno is not what Arcade has in mind for today's agenda.  
  
"I'll act like that guy I killed off from Gomorrah, Caching or whatever his name was."  
  
"And if that doesn't work? Because I have a feeling it might only get us so far, maybe the guards or the lower workers who aren't as familiar with the head boss."  
  
"We do what we always do, what we have to." Arcade knows what Six means by that.  
  
"A repeat of Gomorrah? Killing people and running away with what we came for?" Six just nods at Arcade, and now he regrets not taking a nap himself. Arcade was starting to wonder when they would have to start killing people in a place like New Reno. He actually expected it to be much sooner.

Six parts his hair in the opposite direction, covering the bullet wound scar that has faded a bit in the past couple of years. Arcade got a few good look at it years ago, examining it once with Six's permission. He wonders if there are more side effects than memory loss, there has to be.  
  
He's thought about what Six could have been possibly like before the incident. He'd have a name, just not a number, and he would have memories of lovers and families. When they traveled together, he never asked too many personal questions. Firstly because he didn't want to upset a man who literally came out of a grave to get revenge, but Arcade wanted to distance himself from him. Yet as time went on, it got harder to not get attached and become friends with Six.  
  
Now look at them, and if one of their acquaintances asked what is going on between them, he'd stumble on the words and not outright say they're friends. If Daisy asked him, he might be sincere and admit he's foolishly in love.  
  
He shouldn't be thinking like this when they're about to kill people and deal with gangsters.  
  
Six tells ED-E to hide around the corner of the garage to keep a look out. Arcade is relieved because explaining why a head of the Bishop family now owns a flying robot might be too over the top even for Six.  
  
Arcade lets Six do all the talking, trying not to blow their cover. Six talks to some guards, using what Arcade knows as a fake Brooklyn accent. It's an accent not normally found in this part of the country, and who knows if it still exists; it's only left in holotapes, and who knows about the actual Brooklyn.  
  
Six looks so comfortable in his role of a crime boss, sweet talking the guards, making them believe he's this 'Mr. Bishop'. It all seems to go smoothly, but then one of them points him out, asking who he is and what he's doing with 'the boss'.  
  
"I, uh, well…" He looks at Six, trying not to stammer, but he's not as creative with excuses as Six. "I'm a doctor, a part of the Followers of the Apocalypse." Even if it's a half true, he sounds like he's lying through his teeth.  
  
"Don't worry, boys. Doc here got carried away with his winnings and bet too much on a match at the Jungle." Six pats his back, even getting that whole 'slime bag' demeanor down perfectly. "So much for that Follower education not helping you pick a good fighter."  
  
For a second he believes the performance is just enough, but it still doesn't look like they get the full pass, the guards taking too long to think about it. "If you're wondering if you can get some rash or that bad itch you got checked out by him, later." That seems to do the trick, and they're able to enter the garage.  
  
The garage is filled with spare parts and scrap metal, and luckily not well fortified with more Bishop lackeys. In the center there's a single person inside the room, hovering over their Highwayman.  
  
"I'm here to pick up my car." Six is still talking with that accent which is becoming more and more grating to Arcade as time passes. "You can cut out early."  
  
The person, a man, has grease stains on his face and looks like he's been in here all day. "It won't start. They told me to start it or they'd kill me."  
  
"I figured out how to start it, so just go." Unlike the goons, this mechanic doesn't buy Six's act so much. "Maybe grab me a few microcells for me. Ya'know, just in case."  
  
The mechanic starts to walk away, but then he pauses halfway to the storage room, getting a good look at Six's face. "Not him. You're not him."  
  
"Of course I am him. I'm Mr. Bishop, big boss of New Reno, and if you question me again I'll kill you." Six puts a hand on his laser pistol, and Arcade isn't sure if Six is going to kill him or not. They could surely talk their way out of this, right? Even pay him if it came to that.  
  
"Stop-" Arcade raises his hand, which probably blew whatever cover they had.  
  
"You look a lot like him, but don't act like him. Just different enough. You're more like the other man who got his car stolen, the one with the big mutant friend and the ghoul doctor who smelled funny."

Arcade can't tell whether this is a good or bad thing, but he's hoping this means not kill him. "He gave me food. The one who smelled of whiskey said it wouldn't help, but it did."

 Six moves his hand away from his holstered gun. "So does that mean I can have my car back?"  
  
"Yes. When you see him, tell him I remember him and thank him for the food."  
  
"Sure. No problem. I'll see him soon and tell him that." The mechanic goes to the storage room, leaving the two of them alone.  
  
"Do you even know who he's talking about?" Arcade isn't sure if Six is lying very well, just trying to get rid of the mechanic, or Six might actually know what he's talking about.  
  
"Dunno. It can't be too hard to find someone else who had a functioning Highwayman in New Reno, right?" Six sounds sincere, like he wants to make the honest effort, but doesn't realize that it isn't that simple.  
  
"Harder than you think," but lie or not, at least the mechanic isn't dead. "At least it worked and we have the Highwayman back without killing someone innocent." Or innocent by New Reno standards.  
  
They walk closer to the car, the both of them examining it. Or well, more like Arcade watches Six examine the car as he gets a few looks at it. It seems everything is fine minus one broken window by the driver's side.  
  
"So why couldn't they start it? Safety precautions? Fingerprint scanning? Built in scanning device?" Six had to have installed some sort of alarm or safety system besides that one force field gun.  
  
Six shakes his head. "Nah, it's low on battery. I was going to put some more microfusion cells in it, but you know, the whole stolen car thing happened before I could do that."  
  
So it was just luck this happened? Bad luck somehow turned good… where has Arcade heard that about Six before?  
  
"Maybe you should put some sort of security system or precaution when you get the chance." He not so subtly suggests, his voice sounding upset. "Next time someone might actually steal it and get away with it."  
  
"Probably." At least Six acknowledges he's right, and he's going to say more, but the mechanic comes back with some microfusion cells.  
  
"It was just a dead battery." Six tells him, taking the microfusions cells. "Just needed to replace a few of these."  
  
"I know. I didn't want them to get the car." The mechanic gives him a little smile. "Miss Kitty knew you'd come for the car. She'll keep me safe from Bishop's men."  
  
"Well, tell Miss Kitty I'll keep my promise to her and you." Is it more lies? It doesn't feel like Six is lying to them, but more like Arcade is lacking vital information.  
  
He looks at Six, hoping to show he's questioning what's going on. For only a day it felt like they were on the same page, but once again, in a span of less than an hour, Arcade is once again wondering who Courier Six really is.  
  
"Promise?" Arcade asks, ignoring the loud noise the garage door makes.  
  
"I'm supposed to arrange a date between her and a man."  
  
"And you know who this man is?" Not either of them, hopefully.  
  
"Yeah, the one who had his car stolen from New Reno almost forty years ago." It sounds like Six does know a lot more than he's letting on.


	5. Home

The drive out of New Reno isn't quick enough for Arcade, not wanting to go back there. ED-E's in his lap, in some sleep like stasis mode. Arcade sort of… pets the robot like he would a small pet; Six's mannerisms towards ED-E might be rubbing off on him too much. Six complains about missing the boxing matches and forgetting about picking up a hat for Veronica. It's like the Highwayman being stolen or tricking the largest criminal organization in New Reno isn’t a big concern.  
  
Modoc is their next destination, where Six's mother is from and where his uncle owns a slaughterhouse. That's if the information is correct, and with his experience with the Followers, it probably isn't. Record collecting is still not a top priority, which has been beneficial for multiple parties throughout the west coast. He wants to be optimistic that it's true, not only for Six but for himself.  
  
If it's true, Six becomes less of a mystery to him and no longer does he need to play some speculating game as an attempt to understand him.

Yet at the same time, what if things change between them? Change again, that is. They've barely got something going, and Six learning about his old life could change that. Arcade knows how selfish that'd be, wanting him not to change now that they finally got something decent-ish going for them. Or maybe it's the reverse, with him learning something that makes him change his mind. There was once a time he thought Six could have been a spy for House, the Legion, and even the NCR.  
  
An old quote lost to most by the War echoes in his mind.  
  
Before they reach Modoc, caravan trade routes and acres of farm land surround them. He even sees a courier weave between the brahmin, making the large cattle moo at them.  
  
Six pulls up to the edge of the town, parking the car, but not getting out yet. Arcade stays in the car, having a feeling the other man isn't ready to leave the car right now.  
  
"I've never been afraid of change." Six doesn't turn his head to look at him, but rather he watches the brahmin move along. "But I'm too attached now, aged into my bones more, you know? It was easier back then when I was gunning to shoot a man the way he shot me."  
  
It's one of the rare moments Six is opening up to him, and he could comment on what he's said so far, but Arcade will hold back a few words of wisdom in Latin for now.  
  
"New Vegas, the Strip, Cass, Lily, Boone, Raul, Ulysses, Christine, God, Dog, Dean, Follows Chalk, Joshua, Walking Cloud, Roxie, Rex, Veronica, Eddie." He doesn't know all the names, but Six's tone shows he has an attachment to them. " _You._ " He says that word differently than the other names. "The Brotherhood wants to send me far East. There's a lot of political problems there, and McNamara says it'll help reconnect both sides of the Brotherhood."  
  
Arcade feels his stomach twist before he feels anger. He then realizes too he's become attached to Six far more than he could have ever imagined. Six started their relationship knowing all of this, not saying anything about going across the country. It makes sense, though, one last thing to do in the west before he moves somewhere else. Arcade was doing good things in the Mojave without him, making a difference. He has friends there, an obligation.  
  
"I don't think it'll help, he knows that too, but he says otherwise. McNamara knows the Brotherhood is going to die within a few decades around here, so better to send me off there, taking Veronica and some others with me so we're safe and not hunted down by the NCR." It sounds like a familiar story, one that hits too close to his heart and tesla armor.  
  
"You don't want to strengthen the Brotherhood?" He's still unsure how strongly attached Six is with the Brotherhood, just how loyal.  
  
"They can't change, at least not this chapter. They remember too much; got all that stuff from hundreds of years ago written down by scribes so the past feels more real to them than the present." The Enclave was like that too, in a way. They either talked about the America of the past, its glory, or the future they once thought they would deliver on -- never connecting to the present, thinking of it only as a stepping stone rather than their reality.  
  
"You could make them change." Arcade leans in closer to the front seat, saying those words near his right ear. "If it's anyone, it's you." This display of idealism and optimism hasn't shown itself in years, especially after New Vegas became independent.  
  
"Last time you suggested I do something that big, I pissed off three factions in the Mojave and got on the NCR's and the Legion's most wanted list." Arcade doesn't even think of that until it's brought up, but Six is right. "Veronica says the same, but she says it because she has to believe it. Believe it because they're her family, because the codex has been drilled into her since she was born. So why do you?"  
  
Arcade doesn't have an ingrained reason, only one he feels foolish about when called out on it. He searches for a reason with a solid foundation that sounds reasonable. Yet all he has are gut feelings and biased feelings. He could say he's seen how Six is first hand, how it takes an extraordinary person to pull of what he did with New Vegas.

 He may not want the Brotherhood to gain strength and regain their former grasp on the Wasteland, but maybe the way to truly rid of something like that is to change it from the inside out. The Brotherhood could help people and advise them, put that hoarded knowledge to use with proper regulations and patience; the perfect balance of freedom and regulations.  
  
All of that is too idealistic, even for Arcade, but the thought is nice. He's no longer just the philosopher but the practitioner.  
  
"I'm not saying I want you to, but you could. I rather see them rust in their power armor and all the copies of the codex suddenly go missing, but that's just me and maybe most of the Wasteland." Six laughs at his joke.  
  
"That's not going to happen, but I can imagine the great Scribe Panic of 2283 if it does." Six gets out of the car, seeming a lot more comfortable with himself than before. "So now that I've pulled out one big skeleton from my closet, let's see if I have more to shove in there that I didn't know about."  
  
His bedside manner is improving, but a few years too late.  
  
They go to Modoc's general store first, ED-E already garnering a lot of attention from the locals. Arcade helps pick out a hat Veronica even if he isn't sure what he's doing. He picks one with an orange flower, remembering his mother once telling him the state flower of California was an orange poppy. Arcade goes to pick up more supplies while Six seems to be chatting up some of the locals; it may look like idle chatter or small talk, but Arcade knows it's his way of assessing what's going on in town.  
  
"That's the man I was talking about, Jonny!" He hears from the woman who’s talking to Six in the store. "Jonny's born and raised here in Modoc before most of us moved here during the big trade boom. Not to mention his daddy passed along the best tanning skills you'll find in the Wasteland if you're looking for good leather."  
  
Arcade isn't too far away but doesn't join in on the conversation. He hears ED-E behind him make a stealth mode activation beep. "We are not spying on them or eavesdropping." He tells ED-E. "They're just there, talking loudly, so we happen to hear." Arcade hears an affirmative in eyebot.  
  
"You want to know something about Modoc?" Jonny's tall, broad shoulders showing he's a working class man.  
  
"Yeah. The slaughterhouse, you get your brahmin hide from there?" So he is asking about family, but carefully.  
  
"Davin owns it. The guy is uh," Arcade can tell that's not a good pause. "A little strange, but he's fair and always delivers a good product. That's what matters the most if you want to do business with him."  
  
"Gotcha," Six nods. "So, you were born here, old enough to remember anything from forty years ago?" Arcade is confused about the forty years ago part of the question, but maybe it has something to with records Six saw. He did mention his mother and father were married here.  
  
Jonny shrugs. "Depends, what exactly do you mean?"  
  
"You remember a tribal coming around here? An outsider that caused a stir?" Isn't Six's mother from here? Isn't this why they're here?  
  
"Course I do! I could never forget the man who saved me and Modoc." The response is the liveliest Jonny has looked. "He brought me back home and helped work an agreement out with the Slags. Because of Miria and him, they helped Modoc branch out in trading. We might not be as big as the Hub, but we're nothing to laugh at."  
  
Arcade watches Six's reaction, but reading him isn't so easy unless he wants a person to see how feels. Right now he looks calm like he's just an interested tourist.  
  
"Do you remember his name?" When Six asks this, Jonny looks embarrassed.  
  
"Wow, it's kind of sad I don't even remember his name!" Six laughs at that, but even Six can't fully hide that disappointment. "But Davin knows because Miria is his sister, so he should know something about his brother-in-law. That'd be embarrassing if he forgot, too."  
  
As if Arcade gives himself away, Six looks at him, nodding his head. Arcade turns away, pretending he's still picking up a few more supplies for the road.

 

As they walk to the slaughter house, goods and hat for Veronica in hand, Six is quiet. It's Arcade who's been trying to figure out a way to start a conversation. It's a big moment for Six, meeting his uncle and most likely getting information that'll lead him to his parents.  
  
"So," Arcade starts, having a few possible things to say after lined up already. "About your family, did you, uh, want to talk about it? I mean, I could totally shut up about it and I'll head back to the car so you can keep-"  
  
"I want you there." Six is carrying a bag, but he scoops Arcade's hand into his. "You're a part of the family I remember."  
  
Arcade could say something, but he's learned to just smile. He grips Six's hand tighter, showing he's there for him. It’s amazing how such a sappy thing could come out of that mouth.  
  
This would be much more romantic and pleasant if it's not for the fact Arcade can smell brahmin guts and manure so strongly he wants to gag a little.  
  
Six only lets go of his hand to knock at the door of the slaughter house's main office building. He doesn't get a response after the third knock, so he just pushes the unlocked door open (Six's manners are improving).  
  
"Hello?" Six asks, the three of them looking around. ED-E even beeps, copying Six's hello. "I'm looking for the owner of this place, Davin."  
  
Not long after, they look down the hall to see a man just coming in.  
  
"I'm here, and I told you-" The man stops talking, looking at Six like he's seen a ghost. "Wait, you're not him." The man he assumes as Davin says, but no idea who this 'him' they're referring to. "You're that guy from Vault City, aren't you? The one who ordered fifteen shipments of brahmin steaks." He points at ED-E. "What's that? No flying… whatever that is here!"  
  
"That's Eddie, he's not edible, and not exactly." Well, that's awkward. "I was hoping you knew who I was, that you recognized me." It's a vulnerable moment, and Arcade wants it to go well.  
  
Davin looks Six up and down. "You look like him, but too young."  
  
"Him? Miria's son?" This being a dead end, a false lead, would be hard on Six -- Arcade can tell.  
  
"No! My little nephew is only this tall!" Davin measures up to his hip. "When he gets older, he's going to take over the business so I can retire! He's the best brahmin tipper you'll ever meet, learned from me, so he has to be good." Davin sounds a little strange, but he sounds proud of his nephew. "Say, how did you know about Miria and her having a son? You ain't one of those boys that hovered over her before she got married, did you? No, no you don't want to be messing around with her because her man is the _chosen_ one, the chief elder up in Arroyo."  
  
"Isn't Miria your age?" Arcade enters into the conversation. "You describe your nephew like a young boy." Davin looks to be in his sixties or seventies, but it's hard to tell since the Wasteland has taken a toll on him.  
  
"She's older, but only by a few minutes. She still reminds me of that."  
  
"And when is the last time you saw your nephew? The year, if you can." Six looks at him, Arcade gives him a reassuring nod.  
  
"Uh," Davin stutters, scratching his head. "It was the year when we had that brahmin calf with a single head so… '64?" As Arcade thought, he can tell something is off with Davin besides just being 'strange'. He noticed earlier the man's walking wasn't straight, and if he tips brahmin and works around them, he might have gotten his head kicked hard at one point.  
  
Memory issues might run in the family.  
  
"It's 2283," Six states. "So can you imagine your nephew older looking, taller? Maybe he looks like Miria or his dad?"  
  
Davin squints his eyes, attempting to do as Six says. "Hey, you do look like him."  
  
"Him? You're going to start having to use names." Arcade pushes this because it's better for him to be rude than have Six want to punch his potential uncle in the face.  
  
"My little nephew!" Davin doesn't answer, instead running over to pull Six into a hug.  
  
Arcade has to laugh at that, letting Davin's lack of an answer slip him mind. "Now I can retire and we can tip brahmin together! I knew you'd come back, but no one believed me!"  
  
Six looks at him, asking questions based on body language alone. Arcade isn't sure of those questions exactly, but he answers them with an approving nod and a smile.

 

Arcade gives some alone time to Six and Davin to catch up. If everything goes well, Six will know his name and at least some starting ground on who he is. This place could be livable, a nice place to settle down. He wonders if he could get used to the smell if Six does take up running this place. Arcade can't even picture him in charge of a slaughter house. That sounds a lot better than the Brotherhood's last hope, to Arcade at least.  
  
"I could never get used to this smell." He says to himself, but ED-E replies with a beep. "What? Are you saying I should get used to it? You really think he's going to honor some childhood promise?" ED-E makes a maybe beep, he can tell by that pause. "It's either this or being the last hope of the Brotherhood of Steel." Arcade stares at his feet. "He's done enough, hasn't he? He took on a responsibility no one wanted. He doesn't deserve to be the one that carries the burden of the Brotherhood on his back. No one deserves that." Not someone he cares about at least. "But it'd be better for the Wasteland, wouldn't it? Him doing that, making the Brotherhood of Steel something that could make the Wasteland better."  
  
"Think of me when you see Adams Air Force Base." He looks briefly at ED-E before he stares down at the ground, hanging his head down just enough his glasses slip down the bridge of his nose.  
  
Davin insists they stay the night, and the promise of the largest and freshest brahmin steaks wins Arcade and Six over. Six hasn't learned his name yet, but he has learned that besides being the best brahmin tipper minus Davin, Six had an imaginary friend called Grampy Bone.  
  
After dinner, Arcade sits outside of Davin's house, watching the traders go back to their camps to drink themselves to sleep. Seeing them reminds him of Cass, and he hopes she's doing well. Arcade wonders what she'd make of all of this as she was always commenting on the situations they found themselves in. He likes to think she'd laugh and offer them the strongest moonshine she could make that wouldn't cause ulcers in their stomachs.  
  
"Let's take a walk." Six walks up from behind him, offering his hand.  
  
"The big bright moon above us, our stomachs filled with actual food, and the smell of brahmin manure; you almost got a hang of this romance thing." Arcade takes his hand.  
  
"Can't fault me for the smell when you're the one who enjoys eating what made the shit." They start walking down a path guided by the moonlight more out of practicality than anything else.  
  
"This is where you're supposed to recite something by Lord Byron or maybe Shakespeare. _Militat omnis amans, et habet sua castra Cupido. Attice, crede mihi, militat omnis amans._ "  
  
"Most of the Latin I know comes from the Brotherhood, and I don't think they're close to being romantic unless you get off on the codex, and you wouldn't be the first."  
  
" _I don't_ ," Arcade makes that a hundred percent clear. "So, to shift away from a line of conversation I want to avoid forever, how did things go? Dinner went well; no one died, no gun shots, and the entire population of Modoc isn't chasing us off."  
  
"Good, I guess. His memory is shaky, but I can't fault him for that when mine's more messed up." Arcade is curious, but he knows asking will help Six cope and deal with this all (or at least his Follower training tells him that). "Miria is up in Arroyo which isn't too far from here."  
  
"We can stay here for a little bit if you want. Davin seems more than happy to have you here."  
  
"You're saying that for the brahmin steak," Six teases him. "Even if you used silverware and chewed with your mouth closed, I saw the way you ate."  
  
"You ate more than I did!" Now he's more self-conscious of how he eats. "And it's not often we eat a home cooked meal that doesn't have shrapnel or isn't questionably sourced." Six laughs at him to the point Arcade retracts his hand so he can push him away. "I take back what I said about you getting better at romance." Even if Arcade was joking about that.  
  
"Give me one more chance." Six grabs the same hand he held moments ago, walking them to what appears to be a chapel.  
  
They enter a chapel dimly lit by the moon. The pews are empty, and Arcade recognizes the symbols of the Followers on the walls. "I think I remember some Followers set up or repaired chapels if a community wanted them to."

"My parents were married here. According to Davin, anyway. He said it was love at first sight; they got married only after meeting each other a few times. Then Miria went with my dad on some big adventure."  
  
"Sounds like a romance lost to time and fiction." It might be idealized and not as Davin describes it as, but it's a nice story to think about.  
  
"I have a feeling he's exaggerating, but I don't think he was making up or remembering wrong they got married here."  
  
"They might have records we can look up." He suggests even if the chances are slim. "To verify."  
  
"Maybe," Six looks around more then back at him. "Do you think you could get used to the smell of brahmin shit and guts, Arcade?"  
  
"That's quite the transition," he's not prepared for that question. "Are you saying you're taking him up on taking over the slaughterhouse? And what does that have to do with my tolerance to those smells?"  
  
"Well, he said if I wanted to take over, I had to first promise to tip brahmin with him at least once a week and secondly to settle down with someone that makes me happy."  
  
"That makes sense, inheritance of the business and-"  
  
"He said you looked a little stiff and uncomfortable, but I assured him you'd be fine. So he says once I marry you, he'd hand over the business and retire."  
  
"-since he doesn't have children," Arcade notices they clearly aren't talking about the same thing. "What?"  
  
"Davin said you'd be a fool to turn me down because 'I'm really pretty' or something like that." He's hoping he's misunderstanding Six.  
  
"Please tell me you did not tell a man, who we are only fifty percent sure is your uncle, that'd you'd get married and tip brahmin over with him in order to inherit his business." This sounds like something out of New Vegas rather than a farming and trading community. "To me, and might I remind you I'm still wondering if we're dating or what our _relationship_ even is."  
  
"If we got married, that'd make things clear, wouldn't it?" Arcade can't tell if Six is joking or not.  
  
"Don't joke about that, _please_. Or maybe I should tell you to keep joking, even if the joke is very bad because the alternative makes me want to rethink every single moment ever since I saw you at the Mormon Fort."  
  
When Arcade was younger, he had the occasional fantasy of marriage and settling down. He gave up on those years ago when he realized lovers make poor confidants. Only recently has his mind wandered at the concept of what it would be like to be with Six, having him as his boyfriend. They haven't even called each other that, introduced each other as that. Six hasn't said 'I love you' to him or even a 'I like you'. His actions show it, but things are happening too fast.  
  
"It's becoming the owner of a slaughterhouse, settling down here, or heading out east for the Brotherhood." That stark reminder almost feels manipulative, a test to see how much Arcade wants to be with him.  
  
"Surely there's a third option, maybe even a fourth or fifth." He rather not marry Six just to keep him here and out of the hands of the Brotherhood (his loathing of the smells of the slaughterhouse aside).  
  
"If there are, they're waiting for us in Arroyo." Six leaves Arcade in the chapel alone to think. Arcade can’t follow him, not right now. Yet he knows solitude will not help with his racing thoughts and the swelling guilt that he helped put Six on this path.

  
  
The next morning, Arcade gets up to see Six and Davin talking over breakfast. Davin is laughing, patting Six on the head like a kid. He's not even sure who'd be more disappointed to find out they're not biologically related, Six or Davin. Arcade doesn't know how he would handle the situation Six is in, but probably not as calmly. He misses his mother and Daisy, and he wishes he could get advice from either of them. Daisy has always been the type to tell him to go for anything he wants, but his mother tried to teach him caution (hard life experiences sadly were the only things that worked). Arcade wonders what Six's mother is like; she's married to a tribal elder so that must say something about her. Not just any tribal elder, but Arroyo is known to be where the original Vault Dweller settled down; it's not some small village with a few tents these days. It’s one of the largest cities that isn’t incorporated in the NCR besides Vault City.    
  
"Come sit down and eat before breakfast gets cold, Doc! We were just talking about if we should wake you up or not, but my little-" Davin corrects himself. "Big nephew said to let you sleep in."

 Eating breakfast with Davin and Six, he feels like he's a part of a family again. His family has always been him, his mother, daisy, and occasionally the other Enclave remnants so his view of family is different than the standard holotape sitcom type.  
  
Halfway through his steak and one of his eggs, Davin stops talking about the brahmin business and starts talking about him. "Living here is a lot better now, and this place needs a doctor. You were with the Followers, weren't you? Vault City is a far trip, and it isn't cheap to go there. You could get steady pay treating the locals, traders, and couriers who come through here. We only get the traveling doc regularly."  
  
"I still have contacts with the Followers, and I could help you petition for one." Arcade's answer looks to be one Davin doesn't expect to hear.  
  
"I still think you'd be a great doctor here from what I've heard about you." Davin goes back to eating, possibly getting a hint it's not the best conversation over breakfast when Six gives him a look.  
  
Everyone finishes their meal in silence, Arcade feeling guilty he just ruined the warm family like atmosphere in only a few seconds.

Before leaving, Davin gives Six a large shipment of brahmin jerky and a letter to take to Arroyo. He hasn't exchanged a few lines of conversation since last night with him. Arcade still feels like he needs a lot more time to process everything. While he can't say it doesn’t feel good to have company, Six always makes life complicated. If they stay involved with each other, he's very sure the Brotherhood of Steel would not approve.  
  
Yet moving east, is it really that bad of an idea? He always wondered what the capital looked like and the historic buildings. People need help everywhere, so it wouldn't be like he'd be sitting idly and not doing anything. There might even be Enclave remnants there like himself, and he could help them, too.  
  
Six parks the Highwayman near a bridge that crosses over to what is Arroyo. They get out but don’t cross the bridge, watching and scoping out the atmosphere. Six finishes up a cigarette, ED-E right next to him. Arcade leans against the car, watching traders and locals alike cross the bridge for inspection. It seems Arroyo is a popular destination and maybe a tourist site.  
  
So this is where the Vault Dweller settled down in after his infamous journey and defeating the Master. It's not like any other tribal village he's ever seen, far from it. It looks more like Vault City or Shady Sands in infrastructure. After being rejected from the home he only knew, after saving everyone he grew up with, he was exiled and had to create his own new home.  
  
Arcade barely knows anything personal about the Vault Dweller, but he's very sure he'd be pleased with the thriving state of Arroyo.  
  
"I'm ready." Six says to himself or maybe all of them.  
  
They approach the check point, with minimal weapons and packages with them. The guards shoot ED-E dirty looks, one of the poking the robot with their baton only to scream after ED-E makes a loud beep and shakes midair.  
  
"You'll have to leave your robot behind, sir." Arcade isn't surprised to hear that, but Six isn't going to let his robot friend behind like this most likely.  
  
"Eddie's well behaved." He leans closer to one of the guards, whispering. Arcade can't make out all the words, but he has a feeling it's underhanded.  
  
"Fine," the guard says. "Talk to Nagor and he'll tell you everything you need to know."  
  
Arcade follows Six until they reach a post where an old man is sitting on top of a tower. Once again Arcade feels like Six is coming into this game with a rigged stack in his favor, but isn’t showing his hand to Arcade.  
  
"You're Nagor?" Six shouts, looking up at the tower.  
  
"Who's asking?" The old man shouts back at them, using his right hand to shield the sun.  
  
"A courier, a doctor, and a friendly robot. We also have brahmin jerky from Modoc and a letter for Miria." That seems to do the trick as the man on top of the tower comes down from his perch.  
  
"Miria? She isn't here, out on some courier business in Vault City, but I can take that brahmin jerky and her letter." Nagor reaches his hand out but Six doesn't give him anything for plenty of reasons.  
  
"She's a courier too?" Hearing that his potential mother is a courier even touches Arcade's heart. Maybe she's the reason Six became a courier in the first place.  
  
"Yeah. She should retire, but she picked up wandering around all over the place from my cousin." Nagor shakes his hand, reminding Six that he wants the letter and the jerky. "Give it here so you can be off or spend some down time here in Arroyo."

 "I'd rather deliver the letter to her husband." Nagor crosses his arms, looking impatient as he hears that response. "Courier protocol."  
  
"So you want to see my cousin, the Elder, huh?" He eyes ED-E. "If he's even in his house, you can go, but keep your eyebot close if you want it not to be scrap metal. Some of the older residents don't like them." Nagor points to house off in the distance that looks quite large compared to the others. "If you get lost, any of the locals know where the Elder's house is."  
  
Six nods, giving a little wave goodbye as he begins walking. Arcade follows him, muttering thanks while ED-E keeps close to Six.  
  
  
Six needs another cigarette, and the hard to read ex-courier looks nervous to Arcade. He wants to say something to reassure him it’s going to all work out in the end, but they’re both grown men that know better.  
  
“Look, I’m bad at these pep talk things, but you need one. I’m going to sound like I really have no idea what I’m talking about, which is pretty accurate, but I’d hate myself for not attempting to talk to you when clearly you need to talk.” Arcade’s nervous for Six too. He wants him to have a happy ending, and he fully deserves a mother and father who care about him. His parents deserve to know Six isn’t dead in some ditch somewhere. “No matter what happens, if this is a dead end, I’ll be here and you’ll still be you. Just keep that in mind and know you’re not alone.”  
  
“I’ll remember that.” Six puts out his cigarette, using a foot to crush the embers.  
  
“Good. I could talk longer and babble; _quisque suos patimur manes._ ” Maybe it’s him who needs to calm down and to be reassured.  
  
Six knocks at the door to the Elder’s house three times before he pushes the unlocked door open. A radio is playing music in the background, but their footsteps are louder.  
  
In the center of the room, an eerie large power armor helmet hangs above them from the ceiling. It’s heavily damaged, rusted, but Arcade knows that is nowhere near the common standard issue power armor helmet despite its size. Its origins are clearly Enclave, but who knows how it came to this place.  
  
“Well, uh, that’s something.” This is not making him feel calmer about this situation.  
  
Six gravitates towards a collection of trinkets displayed on a shelf, some of which look like Vault 13 memorabilia. These look much older and worn, actually authenticate rather than something mass produced and sold in towns.  
  
Arcade starts looking at some other trinkets and decorations around the house, ones that look more something he associates with tribals. There’s a large bone framed on the wall with the name ‘Grampy Bone’ written underneath it. Arcade tries to remember where he’s heard that name, but before he can figure it out, Six calls out to him.  
  
“Hey,” Just by that tone a lone Arcade can tell Six is up to something mischievous.  
  
“Did you see something?” Arcade asks before he sees Six is wielding a tribal spear, twirling it around, almost knocking over a vase. “Can we try not to destroy anything before we meet your potential father? I’m trying to help you, really.” All these artifacts are interesting, but they’re in someone’s house without their permission.  
  
“I know,” he puts the spear down. “Thanks for being here again.”  
  
“It’s not a problem, or I hope it won’t be.” Arcade knows the Enclave terrorized villages like these decades ago, but he isn’t sure Six knows that.  
  
The music from the radio stops, and the sound of footsteps grow louder. They both look at the doorway to see an older looking man holding a beer bottle in his hand. He’s wasteland worn, rugged, but he looks familiar. If Arcade didn’t know better, he’d say that was Six twenty years in the future.  
  
“Um,” Arcade looks at Six who is captivated by the man in front of them. “We knocked but no one answered, and your door was unlocked.” Arcade feels like he’s being gutted by this old man’s eyes, that even if he were a good liar, it wouldn’t work.  
  
“Do you know who I am?” The Elder looks at Six, and almost immediately it feels like his shoulders are less heavier now that he’s not the primary focus.  
  
Arcade counts the seconds after Six asks that question, a few heart beats for good measure even though his blood pressure is spiking right about now.

“You’re my kid. A foot taller, more scares and muscles, but not too much has changed.” Arcade doesn’t know how father and son reunions are supposed to be, but even this is strangely distant. “Do you know who I am? Besides your old man.”  
  
Six shakes his head. “No. A few years back I got shot in the head, lost all my memories. I’ve been trying to track my parents down and it led to Miria and Davin, and then to you.” Six’s father approaches him, reaching out to touch the scar on Six’s head. Six doesn’t flinch, but he doesn’t look comfortable.  
  
“Then I guess we have a lot to talk about.” Six’s father retracts his arms and looks at Arcade. “And what about you? Don’t tell me you’re another person claiming to be my kid from Vault City.” Arcade raises his hands as if he’s defending himself, shaking his head  
  
“No, I know who my parents are. I’m here for moral support and captivating conversation only. Like me asking about that power armor helmet.”  
  
“Good. I should never have let the docs over there prod at me that much when I was hard up on caps.” He points to the power armor helmet. “That’s from Frank Horrigan’s helmet. Killed him when I took out the Enclave’s oil rig. It scares most people because I tell ‘em it can shoot lasers out of its eyes. Keeps the nosy people out of here and any thieves.”  
  
Arcade mutters that name, knowing who that is. Frank Horrigan was some test subject of the Enclave, a super soldier of theirs. He doesn’t know much beyond that, most people didn’t even back then. Yet the latter part, so casually said, is what creates a thousand thoughts and a thousand more feelings burst inside him.  
  
“Excuse me, I’ll let you two talk alone.” He tries to smile, to show his mind isn’t going in circles.  
  
The Enclave didn’t document who took down the oil rig or how it even happened, but there are theories ranging from a young tribal teenager to internal sabotage. What happened after is what truly started the death of the Enclave, with both the NCR and the Brotherhood attacking and sacking Navarro and anything that the Enclave touched in the coming years.  
  
Arcade sits on the porch steps, staring at the Arroyo locals and traders. He shouldn’t feel conflicted, but he is. Six’s isn’t his father, and his father saved and helped people. The Enclave hurt people, they were the bad guys; sometimes it’s too hard to fully remove one’s biases.  
  
“‘ _Invide’ dicebant ‘paries, quid amantibus obstas_?” The biggest issue about his relationship with Six should have been him being secretive and the Brotherhood, but now there’s this. Johnson married a tribal woman, but at least she wasn’t the sister or the daughter of the person who started the beginning of the end for his family and their friends.  
  
He’s not sure when ED-E left Six’s side, but the eyebot floats in front of his face. “It’s going to be awkward during family gatherings and dinner, isn’t it?” His laughter is bitter. “His best friend and lover, having ties to the Enclave. Only Six,” he sighs. “Only Six. No other man.”

Arcade isn’t sure how much time has passed, but the sun is starting to go down and it’s getting colder. “I found out my name.” Six sits down next to him on the porch steps. “I’m named after my great-grandmother; my grandmother named me.”  
  
“So should I start calling you by this name?” Six shrugs.  
  
“You could do both. Six feels more like my name than Pat. Pat’s a kid who wanted to be a courier like his uncle Sulik and mom. Pat is a kid who left home at sixteen because he never could keep still and wanted to travel like his old man and his god like great-grandfather.”  
  
“Pat,” it feels strange to call him that, but the name isn’t so bad. “I think there’s a lot of Pat in you, but a lot of Six in Pat.”  
  
Six, Pat, shows Arcade pieces of paper where the writing is barely visible, drawings on the side showing a vault dweller in a vault thirteen suit. “The old man told me I should read these with you. It was a letter written by the Vault Dweller, his grandfather, before he disappeared.”  
  
Arcade pushes up his glasses, if somehow that’s going to make the writing easier to read. “Do you want me to read it out loud? If I can make out these words.”  
  
“Yeah. Your reading voice is better than mine.” He scoots closer to him, leaning against the taller Arcade.  
  
“Your vision is better than mine.” Arcade scans over the first few sentences before reading them out loud.

 

After Arcade finishes the last line, the true impact of the Vault Dweller’s story hits him hard. The same effect seems to happen to Six who has been way too quiet. “It’s good he wrote that down, for his ancestors, for you and the whole tribe.”  
  
“Do you think he killed the Overseer? It didn’t say.” Arcade can tell that part hits Six the hardest. While they both know the story, the way it’s written in the memoir shows an emotional side of things rather than some dramatic staging to emphasize how heroic the Vault Dweller was.  
  
“Most would have, but I don’t know about him.” He thinks the omission is on purpose, as even some people need to take some secrets to their grave.  
  
“As you were reading it, I was thinking I’d kill the Overseer if I were him, but now, I don’t think I would’ve.” He doesn’t expect to hear that, especially since how revenge driven Six was when they first met. “I don’t regret killing Benny, but kills like that, they stick to you. It’s not like killing a raider or some random guy who wants to rob you. It gives ‘em too much power, too much importance. I’d want to forget about an asshole like that, so I’d want to keep him alive, give that responsibility to nature or someone else to kill him.”  
  
“I think that’s what the Vault Dweller thought, too.” Arcade usually made fun of the story of the Vault Dweller. Well, the NCR version of it anyway. Now, it’s personal, it’s a part of Six’s history.    
  
While it’s quiet, Arcade thinks this whole experience over now that’s it’s drawing to an end. He wonders how long it’ll be until they go their own ways, believing it’s inevitable despite what Six said earlier.  
  
“Arcade?” The silence ending is probably a good thing as thinking to himself isn't very productive.  
  
“Yes?” He’s fearing the conversation that comes after this.  
  
“My old man said we could settle down here when I learned to keep still. He said it’s fine you got Enclave ties -- a few of the soldiers that helped him from the oil rig settled down here. Most are still alive. Maybe they knew your parents, Daisy, or the other old war horses.”  
  
“Maybe,” the topic is uncomfortable, but he can tell Six what’s to discuss the future. “So when are you leaving to go east? I think I deserve a warning after everything.”  
  
“How did you know I’m going to go east?”  
  
“Because no way you’re going to settle down and live a peaceful life. That’s not you.” Arcade can’t lie to himself like that. Six wouldn’t have brought up the whole going east thing if he hadn’t made up his mind.  

“You’re a good reason to try.” The comment’s intention isn’t lost on Arcade, but he knows better.  
  
“And watch you look out the window, sighing and wishing you could get lost out in the Wasteland or shoot something? My guilt complex has only recently become manageable, so let’s keep it that way.”  
  
“You could come with me, if you wanted, out east.”  
  
“I thought about it, but knowing you’d be involving yourself with the Brotherhood of Steel even more isn’t encouraging.” Arcade still remembers being told about the Enclave being a recent enemy there, and who knows the number of enemies the Enclave created there.  
  
“I could leave them.” Six says that so easily like it’s not a big deal, but he knows otherwise. He remembers him speaking at Navarro about his feelings towards the Brotherhood of Steel, and it wouldn't be that easy.  
  
“You could, but you won’t.” Even if Arcade could convince Six to leave the Brotherhood, it’s something that would never feel right, even if he hates for many things the Brotherhood stands for and what they’ve done.  
  
“Then come anyway, and if start reciting the codex in my sleep, you can set me right.”  
  
“Veronica would be better at that, and I’ll think about it.” Just as Arcade finishes speaking, the door behind them creaks loudly. Maybe it’s good timing because he senses a spiraling out of control conversation starting between him and Six.  
  
“Think about it over dinner. Get in here or I’ll feed this food to some deathclaws.” It’s Six’s father, and Arcade wonders how much of the conversation he’s heard. How much has Six even told his father? Usually, it’s a few weeks and several dates before he has to meet a parent.  
  
“You have pet deathclaws? Can I meet them?” Arcade sighs when he hears how excited Six is of that possibility.  
  
“Goris and Xarn aren’t my pets, and they’re better company than most people.” His father gestures them to come inside the house. “Now get inside before I keep you outside and invite them over for dinner instead.”  
  
“The threat of deathclaws eating instead of us? This must be your home.” All Arcade can think about is that one time they were stuck in the quarry junction.  
  
“It’s your home now, too, so get used to it.” Being told this by Six’s father, that this is his home, feels a lot more comfortable than he ever could have imagined.

 

“So, no huge welcome back party for your long lost son?” Conversations over dinner start out with a mild disadvantage, but conversations with long lost family over dinner are almost a lost cause in terms of them not being awkward. “How long have I been gone anyway?”

It’s even stranger as Arcade knows he’s the third wheel in this. He’s not good with family relations, and his experience with father-son bonding on a personal authentic level is compiled of wishful day dreams.

“You don’t get lost,” Six’s father says to him. “And thirteen years; you never returned back home once you became a courier.” His tone isn’t berating or disappointed, but like something he’s accepted.

“Ah,” Six looks more emotionally impacted by hearing that than his own father. “How old was I when I left?” Arcade’s always guessed Six is younger than him, but not teenager young.

“Sixteen, maybe. People told me it was an age thing, but Miria and I knew better. You wanted to be a courier because of Sulik and your ma.” Six is younger than Arcade thought, but living out in the Wasteland and being a courier has to age people faster mentally and physically.

“Sulik?” Arcade watches the exchange, trying not to eat all his food quickly as Six’s plate has much more food than his.

“We traveled together on my quest for a GECK. He became a courier by chance as he kept going between California and Colorado.” It’s the first time Arcade’s heard Six’s father show a sentimentality in his voice. He can tell the two of them were close. “He was a mentor and uncle to you – passed away shortly before you left Arroyo. Killed by those _Kai-zar_ fanatics.”

“The Legion?” Arcade asks. “They were a big issue in the Mojave, but thanks to your son…” Arcade looks to Six. “They retreated back, many of their leaders very much dead.”

“So you played hero too, huh?” The old man laughs, looking proud.

“This one didn’t help.” The light teasing between all three of makes the conversation flow better and feel more natural. “Arcade helped a lot, besides just fighting in power armor.”

“Enclave resources and technology being put to good use instead of-” Arcade remembers who’s sitting not so far from him, who he’s sharing a meal with. “Uh, well… you’d know better than anyone else.” He feels his shoulders sinking reflexively out of embarrassment.

“You don’t need to walk on egg shells around the topic.” He swats his hand like the whole Arcade’s Enclave ties are not a big deal to him. “And not everyone in the Enclave was an asshole, there were maybe five of ‘em that weren’t.” He laughs at his old joke, taking a sip of beer after.

“The Brotherhood isn’t exactly filled with gentle hands and open hearts.” It’s probably immature of Arcade to deflect the conversation towards the Brotherhood, but he knows Six should be able to handle the curve ball. “And they helped, too.”

“I think there are about four good people in the Brotherhood on this side of this country anyway.” Six looks more amused than annoyed, probably very aware of what Arcade is doing.

“Are you counting yourself?” Maybe Arcade’s tone comes off more flirtatious than it should have been (though, teasing each other is how they flirt occasionally).  

“On a good day.” Six smirks at him and Arcade can feel him make an attempt to play footsie while being watched on by his own father.

Arcade kicks Six’s foot away, his chair creaking and Six grimacing. “Manners.”

Arcade can feel Six’s father just staring at him, and when he does look at the older man, he’s right. “I can step out, maybe take a drive in that Highwayman you have.” He sighs. “I miss driving. Crashed the one I had out in the Mojave while giving a ride to a friend.”

“You’ve been to the Mojave?” The ways Six asks, his eyes seem brighter and he’s more interested in what his father has to say than being turn down for a game of footsie. “How about New Vegas? The Strip?”

“Not since I crashed the car and had to walk back to Arroyo on foot. I can still hear Miria yelling at me about how it was a bad idea to let a super mutant drive.” He winces as if he can hear that yelling in his head. Arcade can’t make out all the words he mutters, but something along the lines of 'being bored’ and 'it was a good idea’.

“Your friend was a super mutant? I traveled with a Nightkin named Lily.” Six mentioning her name brings back some colorful memories and her weapon that was crafted from a vertibird propeller.

“Marcus, one of the original mutants created by the Master.” Hearing that name reminds Arcade of the memoir he read with Six not so long ago. “He didn’t hate me or the Vault Dweller, even said we’d make good super mutants.”  

“I met a super mutant named Marcus. He’s the mayor of Jacobstown, and one of Arcade’s Enclave buddies is hiding out there. He helped fix my cyberdog named Rex.” Six mentioning his name brings him back into the conversation’s focus. “Did he ever find that cure to help the Nightkin?”

“Doctor Henry, you mean, and yes.” Doc Henry being referred to as one of his 'Enclave buddies’ isn’t exactly helping him feel comfortable in front of Six’s dad.

“An Enclave doctor named Henry, huh?” The Elder laughs like an inside joke has just been exchanged.

“Do you know him?” Arcade has a feeling this isn’t going to be something very positive.

“I beat him up.” Well, he expects something of that sort, but he says it so nonchalantly that it’s kind of eerie. “He tried to kill K-9 so it’s good to hear he’s repairing cyberdogs instead of destroying them.”

“It is for the better.” Arcade’s voice show’s he’s desperate for the conversation to switch it something else. “Who else did you travel with? Six-” A correction, and Arcade still isn’t used to using that name. “Pat picked up some rather interesting people along the way.”

“There was Cassidy, a man who made the best moonshine.” That nostalgic look emerges again onto his face.  “I’d let someone become the next Elder of Arroyo if they could make moonshine like that.”

“I traveled with a woman who shared that name, and she made the best moonshine. I don’t think she’d want to become Arroyo’s elder, though.” Six makes almost the exact same expression as his father, which is amusing but awkward at the same time to Arcade

“Something tells me this is more than just a simple coincidence.” Yet when he points it out, neither of them even react more than just a shrug, muttering a maybe.

“I traveled with a doctor, too.” Six’s father starts the conversation again. “Lenny knew the Vault Dweller and wanted to travel with me.” He smirks, looking at Six. “He gave you your first checkup. I’ll send word to him you’re back – he’ll take a few years to get here, so if you stick around that long, you’ll get to see your favorite _ghoul grandpa_.” That must have a story behind it.

“We’ll see. Maybe I’ll even do the temple of trails if I get bored enough and run out of things to do while waiting.”

“Just stick around long enough until Miria comes back.” The humorous atmosphere settles down, becoming more serious when Six’s mother is brought up.

“Yeah, 'course.” Six sips his beer after saying that, possibly not wanting to show his nervousness.

“Don’t make that face.” Arcade thinks the Elder is talking to his son, but it turns out it’s him. “Yes, you. She’ll like you.” Was he even making a face?

“How do you know that?” After Arcade asks that, he realizes very soon after that was a terrible question.

“Besides her being my wife?” He deserves the tone Six’s father gives him. “Because you’re good looking and important to Pat.” Hearing he’s important to Pat, to Six, he feels like he needs to take a second to compose himself again as his cheeks feel warmer.

Six sometimes has the best timing. “So, anyone up for a late night drive? We’ve all been sitting still here too long, so both of you better say yes.” Six gets up from his chair, standing up.

“Only if I can drive.” His father follows next, looking even more eager to head out.

“Just don’t crash my car, or I’ll do more than just yell at you.”

“I’d like to see you try, _boy_.” They walk towards the door, pushing and bumping into each other.

Arcade watches the two of them go at it as he’s still at the dinner table, shaking his head.

So this is the family’s he’s now a part of? Well, it could be a lot worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Militat omnis amans, et habet sua castra Cupido. Attice, crede mihi, militat omnis amans: a line from the book of love by Ovid. "Every lover serves as a soldier, also Cupid has his own camp; Believe me, Atticus, every lover serves as a soldier."
> 
> Quisque suos patimur Manes: Quote from Virgil. "Each of us suffers his own spirit"/"Each of us bears his own Hell"
> 
> ‘Invide’ dicebant ‘paries, quid amantibus obstas: From the story of Pyramus and Thisbe. "'O envious wall,' they said, 'why do you block lovers?"


	6. Rainbow At Midnight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ten years after Arcade goes to Navarro and Six finds home in Arroyo, Arcade reflects on fatherhood and family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An anon asked for Arcade being a father with fluff. I thought this fit and I'd put it here since it connects to this story.

There was a time where Arcade thought he could never get used to the smell of brahmin and everything that comes along with these animals. Yet here is, not wearing power armor or a Followers lab coat. He's wearing old clothes he's borrowing from his uncle-in-law, who happens to be at least a good five inches shorter than him. The pants cut off a few inches above his ankle, and it's bothered him since this morning. Yet that's a minor thing to worry about, considering he once worried about far more things.  
  
Arcade has been spending a few weeks in June in Modoc for almost ten years now. The town is a bit quieter in June and the temperature is not too cold or too hot. There's still enough traders to keep supplies and commerce going, but only the regular caravaneers and the occasional special trip come through town. Arcade thinks that's a good thing though, as these traders seem to have more respect for the locals and their rules versus complete outside strangers.  
  
Most traders and local shops do open during the early parts of the night even if it's the slower season. The members of the Slag community only come out at night, especially during the summer. He's interacted with a few of them when he's sold them brahmin jerky or exchanged some small talk or general greetings. Over the years he's gotten to know a number of the locals by name, mostly due to Davin encouraging him to get to know them. Once in a while, he'll go to Rose's Bed and Breakfast with Jonny so they can catch up with each other. It seems like the locals know him better than he knows them. Once again, most likely due to Davin wanting him to feel like Modoc is home for him.  
  
The sun will start to set in less than an hour, which means he should probably stop staring off into the distance while waiting for his husband to join them. He was supposed to be here a few days ago, but it seems the negotiations with the NCR are proving more of a challenge than what he was told. Arcade knows it'd be difficult, especially since he's heard stories from the Followers where the NCR would hire mercenaries to bother towns in order for towns to ask the NCR for help -- a perfect set up.  
  
As he walks out to where the younger brahmin are, he sees a small plush toy on the ground. He instantly recognizes it, picking it up from the ground. It's a little hand made brahmin toy, and he doesn't even need to put his nose close to it to tell the toy has been around brahmin manure. He rather not touch it, but the duty of fatherhood calls, and he puts the manure smelling toy brahmin into his left pants pocket.  
  
When he finally reaches the young brahmin pen, he fixes his glasses and smiles before he can even get a good and clear view. He can hear the sounds of his son laughing and screaming with joy. His son is riding a brahmin calf, trying to get the calf to move. Instead, the calf whines and tries to shake his son off.  
  
He stops at the fence of the pen, taking out of his pocket the toy he picked up earlier. "Guess what I found on the way here." He dangles the toy, which seems to grab the attention of his son rather than his presence alone.  
  
He watches as his son's eyes widen, surprised at what Arcade has presented him. He gets off the calf's back, running towards him. Before he can grab the toy, though, Arcade raises it in the air higher, dangling it.  
  
"So do you know where I found it?" Arcade doesn't worry as much as he used to about how to be a father. He still worries, but he finds it comes a lot more naturally than he anticipated. He knows his worries stem beyond just the normal parental anxiety, but from his own father passing when he was so young.  
  
His son doesn't look at his face, instead of looking down at the ground. "I found it while walking here. I'm hoping the both of you will clean yourselves up before we have dinner tonight." He lowers the toy to a reachable distance, his son grabbing it and mumbling something.  
  
"What was that?" The question is softer than his previous tone, as he's curious and concerned about what his son just said.

  
"Thank you for finding Bess." The words make him smile. He runs one of his hands through his son's hair, not minding it smells like a brahmin on a hot day.

Unlike Arroyo, Modoc's plumbing system is just functional enough. Jonny told him when he was young, there was only a single well and a few outhouses that the community shared. Luckily, it's gotten much better than that, but that's not saying much. Apparently what kicked started the plumbing system here was someone throwing an explosive in one of the outhouses.  
  
He walks towards the house, glancing at the water pump. There he sees his son pumping water into a bucket, loudly groaning, almost bouncing up and down to get enough momentum in order for the pump to work. The sight is funny and cute, so he laughs. Yet he feels a little guilty about laughing. He ponders on whether to go help him or just watch in amusement.  
  
Arcade is about to go help him when a voice passes inside his head. It's his father-in-law's voice, and he remembers a time where his son was struggling to kill a small baby gecko. Arcade wanted to go rush in and help, but his father-in-law stopped him. Of course Arcade reacted negatively, but eventually, the rationale was explained. Parenting isn't just about helping and holding hands but teaching through letting them explore the world on their own. Arcade is pretty sure that's part of a developmental psychology theory. He agrees in the end, quite anxious until he sees his son finally kill the gecko, looking quite proud of himself.  
  
He will admit he shares some commonality with his father-in-law, as the two of them never had their own father around, only their mothers. In Arcade's case, everyone talked about his father and his legacy. In his father-in-law's case, no one spoke of his father ever and no one really asked questions.  
  
All this reflecting has kept him busy, and he sees his son has pumped plenty of water into the bucket, now wobbling as he walks towards the shower area. There is a surge of pride, and instead of a smile now, there's a smirk.  
  
Arcade goes inside the house, smelling brahmin being cooked. At least one of the benefits of the in-laws owning a slaughter house is eating meat every day in a variety of different preparations; his son enjoys meatballs, he enjoys steaks, and his husband enjoys burgers. He doesn't interrupt Davin while he's cooking, just briefly going inside his room to pick up some towels and the clothes he brought with him that actually fit him properly. After all, they'd be inside by then and won't have a lingering smell to them.  
  
Even without Six here, there's still a strong familial feeling to this place. Every year he gets asked, well, more like begged, by Davin to convince Six to move to Modoc, take over the slaughterhouse, and Arcade to become the local doctor. Originally the doctor who worked here was from the Followers and Arroyo, Emily Ortal, but a few years ago she moved back to Arroyo due to personal reasons. Now there only is an old Vault City doctor who goes between here and Klamath.  
  
As he starts leaving his room to exit the house, he can hear footsteps, wet and fast ones to be exact. In the hallway, he sees his son run quickly past him, leaving a trail of wet footprints and small droplets of water on the floor; he's clearly forgotten to bring his towel and clothing again. This is evident by the lack of clothing and quick paced running.  
  
"You're going to slip and fall if you run like that." He says louder than usual down the hall so he can be heard, his son almost to his room. He hears the door slam, sighing. "Or make someone slip, that too, hopefully not me." He mutters that last part to himself, having a feeling his son ignored the first part of what he said already.  
  
Arcade drops one of his towels on the floor, using his feet to try and dry the slippery floor as he goes down the hall towards the front door. The last thing he needs is Davin slipping on water and having to be taken to Arroyo or Vault City for medical treatment. Then Davin would insist Six be the only one to run the slaughterhouse while he's gone. Which obviously means they'd spend more time in Modoc or Arcade and their son would be in Arroyo without him.  
  
Arcade goes to pick up the used and wet towel from the floor, also spotting the infamous Bess plush toy once again. The toy is soaking wet, sitting in its own puddle. For something his son is attached to, he seems to lose Bess frequently. Once again, picking up lost toys is another fatherly duty he's gotten used to.  
  
Outside near the house, he hangs the wet towel and Bess right next to it. Bess is still dripping water even after Arcade squeezes out most of the water. Hopefully, it'll be dry enough by tomorrow and not smell too terribly.

Now it's his turn to take a shower, and of course since it's not in the afternoon or morning, the water is cold. When he traveled with the Followers in more remote and isolated parts of the west coast, cold and irradiated water was the standard to expect. Now that's been spoiled and no longer travels with them, it's a discomfort that is nostalgic if that's even possible; it reminds him of a past life.  
  
He may not travel to small towns or even tribes much anymore, but that doesn't mean he's been staying put in Arroyo ever since he got married. It doesn't feel that long ago that Six took him on date nights to Klamath and Arcade would always end up falling asleep on the drive back. Then there's been the family trips to Gecko and Vault City. He remembers explaining about Poseidon Energy and the basics of nuclear energy to his son as Six would converse with Lenny and the locals. Vault City on the other hand, well, he remembers crossing his arms over his chest most of the time and making snide comments about the locals.  
  
Maybe their next family trip should be to the Boneyard once tensions with the NCR have settled down. He would like to take his son to see the Followers' University and to the local museums. He wonders if the museum he went with Six all those years ago has changed.  
  
He must have gotten lost in thought too long as the water runs out unexpectedly. He only notices after thirty or so seconds without feeling water pouring down upon him.  
  
Modoc does that to him, it makes him reflect. Maybe because the pace of life is slower here, it being a smaller town. Or maybe there's a connection to Six here that's a comfort and reassurance. It could be he has a lot more free time here -- he goes with that.  
  
He dries himself and puts on clothes that actually fit him this time. His hair is still damp as he uses a damp towel to clean his glasses. The only good thing about Vault City is that it gave him a good pair of new glasses. The only reason he would go there without any protest would be for them to visit Cass who lives in the outskirts surrounding Vault City.  
  
He walks back to the house, and before he enters, he can hear the sound of Davin laughing and talking. He can make a few words out, something along brahmin tipping and midnight. He really hopes his son isn't going to keep up that family tradition, at least not until he's a little older and taller than a brahmin.  
  
He opens the door, smelling dinner. Davin cooks for them every night when they visit. Usually, he ropes Six into helping him, but due to his absence, it's been him and his son who help out. Not that Arcade complains about it, he enjoys these stereotypical family moments that have long been overdue. He spent time with his mother and the other remnants, he considers them family, but even at an early age, Arcade could feel the absence of his father.  
  
"Is that you, Pat?" Davin's yelling from the kitchen. Pat is Six's original name, but it seems to be a childhood nickname only people from his childhood call him these days. Arcade offered to start using the name Pat, but Six told him that he prefers Six and feels more connected to it.  
  
Arcade closes the door before he responds. "No, it's me, Arcade."  
  
"He was supposed to be here days ago." He can hear the disappoint in Davin's voice before he even sees him. "He better make up for it by staying longer here and running the business side of things as I take Albert out to see the brahmin calves." Davin walks out of the kitchen to the living room, holding two plates of food.  
  
The name Albert was suggested by his father-in-law, Six right away saying he's no good with names so he gave up that responsibility. Arcade had a few in mind, mostly obscure references to philosophers and economists. The name Albert is a good fit, and it references one of the greatest scientists of the Old World so Arcade has a soft spot for it.  
  
Speaking of his son, he sees him behind Davin, also holding plates and utensils. "Uncle Davin let me cook the steaks this time."  
  
"Did he? He doesn't let me do that." His son puts the plates down and starts setting the table.  
  
"That's because you burn or overcook them." Davin sets the steaks down on the center of the table as his son works around him.  
  
"I would like to say in my defense that the last time that happened, I was distracted by your nephew." He remembers that time, Six getting a little too handsy and making too many bad puns.  
  
"Excuses," Davin rubs the top of Albert's head, messing up his hair. "At least Albert here can make a good steak so I can die in peace."  
  
"And here I was thinking you just wanted him to teach him how to tip a brahmin properly." Arcade shifts the conversation into his favor, both his son and Davin looking like they just got busted. "Oh, I heard you. I think most of Modoc heard you."  
  
"About that..." Davin doesn't finish that line, going back into the kitchen with his son following him right after.  
  
Arcade walks over to the table, shaking his head. The table is only half set, and he decides to be merciful and finish setting the table so they can eat sooner.  
  
When Davin and his son enter back into the room, they both look like they've shared a secret scheme -- it's written on both their faces.  
  
"So, dinner? Or should I wait for you to discuss your plans on how you're going to sneak out at midnight further?" Arcade sits at the table, feeling a bit smug and rather hungry.  
  
The conversation at dinner is mostly between his son and Davin. Arcade makes the occasional commentary and praise when he feels it's needed. He catches himself staring at the empty chair at the table, feeling the absence of his husband is now more apparent than before.  
  
They're mostly done with dinner, Arcade starting to talk a bit more now because he's well fed and appreciative of a home cooked meal. The sound of the front door opening and shutting draws his attention, so he turns his body to look that way.  
  
His son doesn't do that, instead of bolting towards the door and screaming the word dad. Not long after, he sees their assumptions are correct when Six is carrying their son and standing in front of him.  
  
"So, who wants to hear a story about a two headed bear that ran far far away from Arroyo?" Six says, of course making a reference to the NCR.

Six puts Albert to sleep after dinner, and Arcade catches a glimpse of his husband telling a very fictionalized version of the time they went to the old Sunset Sarsaparilla factory. He remembers the events quite differently, but maybe it's a good thing Six focuses on different points and doesn't tell the story as Arcade recalls it; the latter half isn't a very good bedtime story.  
  
Once night fully sets in Modoc, it becomes almost pitch. Rose's has a few lights to signal it's still open for drinks and foods, but the other buildings are family run and close at nightfall unless it's the busy season or the Slags need supplies. Right now it's not the busy season, and so Arcade uses a light that's far too dim for his eyesight to read properly without straining his eyes. He's not sure whether to blame the light, his glasses, or his age. He rather blame the first two.  
  
The floor creaks when Six enters the bedroom, and the door is shut carefully so the sound doesn't echo throughout the entire house. Six doesn't look tired, but Arcade knows he probably is. It must have been mentally exhausting to deal with NCR bureaucracy for hours on end. Six told a very condensed and simplified version at the dinner table, but Arcade knows it's more complicated than that.  
  
Arcade closes the book and puts it back on the nightstand. "He should have fallen asleep quickly." He let Six tuck their son into bed, knowing it's good alone time for the both of them.  
  
"He did. He spent most of the time out with the brahmin, didn't he? I used to do that as a kid, so I've been told. Was a total pain in the ass." Six runs a hand through his hair, and his body posture relaxes, starting to show signs of fatigue.  
  
"He spent most of the day with the calves, helping to feed them with your uncle." Arcade has more questions about what transpired before Six arrived in Modoc, though. "I thought your mother would be coming, honestly."  
  
"What? Hoping she'd babysit so we could sneak away on a romantic rendezvous?" He knows he's being teased, and he shows that with an exaggerated groan. "Or not." Six picks up that reaction and goes back to being a bit more serious. "She wanted to, but the old man wasn't up for it. He was in a bad mood after the negotiations with the NCR." Before he could make a comment on that, he's asked a question. "You remember Colonel Hsu? He was there, probably the one person that didn't want to rip my head off and take it back to Shady Sands."  
  
"I remember him enough." It's been so many years, but they did spend over a week around McCarran. "So, how did things go? If your father was in a bad mood, did it go poorly? The last time they met, no one wanted to compromise."  
  
"They sort of admitted to sending mercenaries to harass Arroyo, but not directly. They agreed to not press annexation for a time, but who knows how long that'll last." Six rattles off the brief summary as he removes his clothing, his back facing Arcade. "Dad's pissed. He just wants to take my Highwayman and drive off, visiting places before he kicks the bucket -- his words, not mine."  
  
Then there's a shift in the atmosphere and the tone of the conversation as Six turns to face him, again. "It got me thinking, you know? That I want him to have this place and Arroyo. I want him to have it more than I want it. I don't think of myself taking over Arroyo for me, but for him. So he can have it." Arcade knows who that him is referring to, obviously their son.  
  
"I think that's called fatherhood." Six laughs at Arcade's joke and the mood doesn't feel as heavy.  
  
"No shit, huh. Here I was thinking it was me trying to get out of being a responsible adult." These days they both know that's a joke, but when they first met, Arcade would have taken that seriously as evidenced by Six's past behavior.  
  
How much have they both changed since that day in the fall of 2281? With Six, it makes sense. He was an amnesiac with only fragments of his past he could string together at the time. On the other hand, Arcade had too much of the past that it weighed on him. It's easier to compare the differences between the past and present of others, but when it comes to oneself, it becomes so much more convoluted. Or maybe it's simply he doesn't have the energy or time to self-reflect as much as he used to.  
  
His own fatigue from the day hits him all at once. He wakes up earlier while in Modoc, so it makes sense he'd fall asleep earlier. Or once again, it's him trying not to think of his age creeping up on him. He's not _that_ old, and he's not some two century-year-old corpse being kept alive by inhumane science.  
  
Falling asleep is easier this night than the previous ones. If asked, Arcade would say it's because the brahmin were louder than tonight, but that's outward deflection of an embarrassing confession. He is _that_ sappy and feels more relaxed and at home with his husband and son under one roof with him.  
  
There was a time he spent most of his time alone in a tent in the Mormon Fort where he would use the excuse of his research to avoid people. Now look at him. He used to wonder if he could have ever had a childhood similar to this, but maybe finally getting the chance to experience it as a father makes up for it all.


End file.
